#so much has happened ever since chapter 29 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

jiminjamms · 11 months ago

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sex therapy :: 26. together

chapter tags/warnings: a very broken marriage. heavy angst. at least i am not gege. mai and maki and megumi as an iconic trio. infidelity/adultery. family drama. strong language. corruption.

word count: 4.8k

notes: thank you for the overwhelming reception from the last chapter! work has been consuming my life, sadly, which is why this chapter took longer than i anticipated. gr. in this upcoming piece, though, my main focuses are the character development in y/n as well as explanations from toji himself. enjoy! likes, comments, and reblogs are much appreciated. xoxo

fic masterlist | 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33.

A large, warm hand massaged the delicate stretch between your thumb and forefinger.

Gently. Leisurely. Daintily.

Vanilla and cinnamon notes entered your lungs with every inhale, a velvetiness akin to everything you imagined clouds to be like if brushing against your cheek, the comforting sensations bringing back nostalgic memories from the carefree times your heart longed to return to.

Was this Heaven? you wondered in this dark and dreamy daze.

You would not mind staying in this state eternally if that meant the promise of peace and quiet forever.

A voice, not from yourself, dispersed your thoughts.

“Suguru, what are the chances she won’t ever wake up?”

Wake up?

Oh, so you were just asleep.

“Shut up, Sukuna,” another person quipped, this tone more leveled and coarser than the last. “Don’t say shit like that.”

The first person, who must be Sukuna then, chuckled lowly to himself. “Oh, who would’ve thought? Choso is having a soft spot?” he marveled with great interest, “Since when did you care so much about—”

But a third voice interrupted the banter. “She’s awake.”

After a long struggle, your eyes fluttered open to see a crowd gathered around you. Immediately beside you was Suguru Geto. He had been the one nestling your hand, but he practically didn’t look like himself with the concern etched into his brow, replacing the cheerfulness in his typical visage. Behind him stood Sukuna and Choso. The former grinned with fierce satisfaction, while the latter…scowled at you?

To be fair, Choso always scowled at you.

“Good evening, gorgeous.” Geto greeted with a melancholic smile, giving you another squeeze, firm and encouraging. Like a true gentleman, he helped you sit upright, his other hand reaching over your head to brush aside some stray strands by your forehead. “Are you feeling okay?”

Exhaustion, meanwhile, rattled you to the bone.

You were weak, your movements fragile, almost like you were a fawn in her first hours of life. You blinked rapidly while taking in the new environment, only to quickly recognize the gray and cream colors in your surroundings. Back at Toji’s apartment was where you found yourself, with the familiar spiced floral scents from the flickering candle nearby confirming that this was the master bedroom.

Given the dull throb by your temples, you frowned.

“What—?” your voice came out as a hoarse rasp. “What happened?”

The trio traded looks at each other with communicative eyes.

In the end, Choso tucked his hands into his front pocket and took the initiative to speak.

“You were in the Zenin residence with Mai and Maki, remember?” No, not really.“Got into an argument with your husband. Started having a panic attack. Collapsed. Puked.”

Oh…

Recollections from your last conscious moments flooded your head like a tsunami: the screaming, the crying, and the fighting. Loud, angry, bitter fighting.

Fighting for your dignity. Fighting for your heart. Fighting for your life. Goodness gracious. As much as the memories sucked all life from you, you instead felt completely…numb.

After all, you had already been dead on the inside. You were too worn out, both physically and emotionally, to react. Everything that you had to go through since your wedding had brought you to your wit’s end, and this recent altercation with Naoya Zenin was truly the icing on the cake.

When you caught sight of yourself in a nearby mirror, you could hardly recognize yourself. Your expression, glum. Your lips, chafed, Your face, pallor. Absent of any other color than an ashen hue.

“How…did I get here?”

“Mai and Maki got worried and called Toji, who told them to bring you here,” Sukuna answered this time. “You’re lucky the girls reacted fast, else we would have sent you to an emergency room. Suguru even stopped his shift at his clinic to watch over you.”

“I—,” you sighed, lost for words and dropping your tired gaze to the floor. Dealing with inner turmoil to this degree was more than what any sane person could handle. All efforts towards your happiness were in vain anyway, as the cosmos conspired to make your existence one neverending nightmare. Everyone else had their ambitions and shit to deal with, but here you were as an absolute nuisance to the people who should not be otherwise pestered, and you were ashamed for the unnecessary trouble that you had caused. “Gosh, this is embarrassing.”

“We are so sorry!”

Unexpectedly, the apology came from a girl’s voice, and you had to turn around to see three familiar teenagers by the bedroom door.

Just last week, you would never have imagined ever seeing Mai, Maki, and Megumi together. Yet, here you were, watching the twins and their—technically speaking—nephew (cute) standing side-by-side, twiddling their thumbs in their nervous corner (also cute).

Flustered and prepared for admonishment, Mai bowed her head at a slight angle as she hurriedly explained, “We don’t…We don’t mean to put you in an awkward position. We just didn’t know what to do. Maki and I were worried when you fell to the floor and started throwing up. We…We should’ve asked for your permission on who to call for help. But we didn’t know who else to phone, so we ended up dialing Toji. Now, we’ve put you in a weird spot and that is all our fault—”

“Do not apologize. That was the right thing to do.” The comment came from yet another person, and when Sukuna and Choso stepped to the side, who you saw at the room’s furthest end was none other than Toji Fushiguro himself.

He had taken a seat all the way by the wall, with one leg thrust over the other in a relaxed but kingly sort of manner. With his sleeves rolled up, his forearms bled to his wrists with ink, and the emeralds in his sharp gaze gleamed as he stared pointedly in your direction.

Of everyone in the room, his countenance appeared the most composed, but you could feelhim reading through the emotions present on your face. He inclined forward, resting his elbow on his knee and his chin on his palm.

When he noticed the slightest shift in your posture too, the tiny scar by his lips flexed along with a smile.

“So, you’ve figured me out, hm?”

Easily, you could sense all seven pairs of eyes in the room (the four therapists plus the three teens) landing on you. The sudden attention rendered you nervous. Even if you chose silence as your response, the entire room, the entire planet, and perhaps even the entire galaxy could speculate your answer through your expression alone.

After a long while, you breathed out, “You didn’t tell me that you were a Zenin.”

The elephant in the room had to be addressed obviously, and you were not shy to confront the situation head-on.

While you did not intend to sound accusatory, your tone came off as such anyway. How could you not, when you had essentially been misled for weeks? Sure, Toji probably did not want to be badmouthing the Zenins to the very person (you) who had been recently married into the family. But, by withholding the fact that he and your husband were cousins, Toji had created much unnecessary anguish including the current limbo that your marriage was in right now.

Meanwhile, that same man pressed his nails into his chin in contemplation.

“I am not a Zenin, though,” he eventually corrected in a domineering voice, all austere in his throne. “At least, not any longer. I took my first wife’s last name years ago. I go by Fushiguro now.” Curt, direct, and pithy. Toji wasted not a syllable. “Everything worked out though, I guess. Naobito cut me off from the Zenin clan earlier this year. Gave me ten billion yen and told me to get lost, so I did.”

Toji always kept his private matters to himself, but with everything that he had gone through, you were struck by his poise, as if being expelled from such an influential household had been a high-school breakup he had gotten over long ago.

Nonetheless, you wondered if he missed that other life, and you brought your knees toward your chest.

“So,” how should you put this, “you’re not upset?”

Toji scoffed immediately.

“Upset?” A bitter grin spread off his lips. “Why would I be upset? That household is a trash dump. All my life, there were no choices for me to make when my uncles and granduncles decided everything already,” and he began counting with his fingers, “my teachers, my classes, my extracurriculars, my friends. Everything. I was only a puppet to bring honor to the family name, bring in money for the company.”

Listening to his sonorous voice, you rested your cheek onto a knee.

"I see."

His story was depressing, and from conversations with in-laws such as Mai and Maki, you knew that he was not lying, either. Coming from nobility as well, you were also aware of the pressures that came with the people who boasted their 'old-money' statuses, but the Zenin household had always been notorious for being miserable.

Toji had said so before in a prior discussion, how ‘family isn’t family for something like the Zenins’ because both politics and business took precedence.

Then, he went on.

“Some people would kill to have my problems, but I did not want that life, you know? Around the time I started college, I decided that I wanted to make judgments for myself and be my own distinct entity, but that made people upset. Privileged. Entitled. Ungrateful. Whatever. My family members called me many things as a young adult when they figured I did not want to be their pawn for my whole life, with the only person who understood me for many years being my best friend in university.”

Megumi’s mom.

Toji nearly appeared to be an altogether different person whenever he spoke about his first wife. The chartreuse in his eyes would stir with both sorrow and fond reminiscence as he thought about the Mrs. Fushiguro you would never get to meet, his closest confidant whom he lost to the cruel separation brought by life versus death. She must have been someone whom he valued a lot—a person who completely transformed him—as Toji had discarded his last name (which was Zenin, of all things) for hers.

‘He truly loved my mom,’ Megumi explained before. 'He had given up everything.’

Thus, fate could truly be unfair.

The loss and pain Toji must have endured, a topic Megumi had alluded to in his discussion with you before.

Not to mention, the expectations, frustration, and suffocation that came from the clan's elders, too. Experiencing the intense atmosphere in the Zenin household firsthand allowed you to empathize with him. Given the stark differences between him and your lawful husband, there was no wonder Toji did not wish to deal with his older relatives' high-strung conventions.

But, if he had been suffering so much…

“Why did you care so much for what your family thought?” you asked, disregarding the look that the three teenagers by the door exchanged with each other. “Toji, you went to university in the United States. You had a wife and son at a young age. You went from a business background to a licensed therapist, so why did you not—”

“Leaving is difficult when you’re the family heir and the corporation’s CEO.”

The expression that you then returned was blank.

Huh?

His words triggered something in your head, so you repeated after him.

“Leaving is difficult when,” and your voice trailed off, “when…you…are the heir and CEO.”

Heir. CEO.

Zenin.

Toji.

Naoya.

But Toji’s older.

‘Naoya got into a huge dispute with him earlier this year.’

Sheer realization slapped you hard across your face. No way.

“Toji,” you began after letting the revelation sink into you a while later, but your voice barely eeked above a mumble, “so you were once the successor to the Zenin household and company?"

The man in question did not respond, but the silent affirmation from the six other onlookers was an answer in itself.

Yes.

In hindsight, you wanted to say you had always seen the possibility. Still, you never fully registered this until now: the thoughtfulness in his strategy, the sophistication in his speech, the charisma in his leadership.

Previously, Toji had impressed you with how much he knew about the Zenin Corporation’s market share in the Asia-Pacific or the firm’s outsized influence on the international stage. Yet, most (including yourself) would not guess that someone like Toji Fushiguro—your tattooed and brawny sex therapist (plus single dad)—had once been heralded as the indisputable inheritor to the proud lineage and conglomerate.

That had been your mistake.

Toji was more than what people made him out to be, which reminded you to never assume anything superficially about someone—a remark he had once made. For good reason, because he had been referring to himself all along.

You could almost visualize Toji Fushiguro as the seasoned executive he had once been in light of this new information: his black strands slicked into a side part, his charcoal blazer freshly pressed, his leather oxfords newly polished.

Maybe because he was more mature or maybe because he was simply older, but Toji appeared more fitting for the important roles in the Zenin household compared to the man presently poised for succession.

Consequently, you must also ask, “Then, how did Naoya end up in your seat?”

Sukuna and Megumi shared a glance.

Choso grimaced, and Suguru kissed his teeth.

Meanwhile, Toji ran a lone finger down his jaw, following the lines from a tattoo.

“Let me give you some context, sweetheart,” he offered, now brushing his chin as he spoke. “For the last—let’s say—few hundred years, the oldest male in each generation became the leader in the Zenin clan. Is the rule stupid? Yes. Should there be more criteria in evaluating a potential heir aside from birth order? Also yes. But nothing has stopped this before because the Zenins, as you know by now, are a family built on antiquity and tradition. So, when I was born as the oldest male in my generation and Naoya had come in second place...”

Toji did not have to finish his sentence for you to figure out the rest.

Despite the demands that came along with being the next family head, Toji must have been esteemed as nothing short of a crown price among the Japanese elite, with seniors in the Zenin household utilizing all their resources to prepare the once young and starry-eyed boy for taking over such an influential role. Naturally, his enviable position would spark jealousy, even from those whom Toji deemed related to by birth.

Including his very own younger first cousin.

Toji frowned in exasperation.

“Your husband is one childish and jealous brat, but Naoya Zenin has been like that for as long as I have known him. To claim the heir and CEO titles, he acquired the trust from myself and my colleagues by working with us in sex therapy, only to stab us all in the back. He’s a liar. A total manipulator.”

And, from personal experiences, you knew that those words could not be more true.

At this point, Toji sank his handsome face into his immense palm.

“Well, now Naoya Zenin has everything he wants but is still an incompetent asshole. The whole enterprise is hanging by a thread. The entire clan cannot fucking stand him. What’s crazy is that his father Naobito is not doing anything about this, and I cannot tell if that is because the old man is giving his son free passes or because he has finally gotten senile. With Naoya's pettiness, though, the father-son duo have done everything to erase my name from the family, even going as far as to dismiss the executives that I brought onto the management team to undo my legacy.”

When Toji glanced up to cast his gaze forward, you then suddenly understood that the three other men in the room were more than just his fellow board-licensed colleagues.

You recalled Toji’s words in the Teyvat meeting room.

‘I recruited these guys right when they completed their undergraduate degrees, around the time I just opened my therapy office,’ and the puzzle pieces clicked into place from the realization that sex therapy had not been the only thing that Toji had worked with them on—Sukuna, Choso, and Suguru had been executives at the Zenin Corporation reporting to Toji, too. ‘We’ve been working together since, for the past four years.’

Discerning these revelations from your expressions, Toji added in confirmation.

“I had selected these three to oversee the Zenin Corporation’s operations with me,” he said, and you remembered the same conversation in which the men discussed their University of Tokyo studies while Toji listed their previous roles. Sukuna, Economics. “Sukuna, Director of Investments and Real Estate.” Choso, Mechanical Engineering. “Choso, Chief Engineer and Supply Chain Manager.” Suguru, Biology. “Suguru, Healthcare and Innovation Administrator.”

Arguably the most consequential divisions in a conglomerate that spanned numerous sectors, with each department bringing in yen by the billions every year.

‘These guys have treated me like family more than my blood-related kin have.’

Learning this about the four therapists added to your fascination.

For you, the discovery was like uncovering a hidden treasure trove. To imagine everything that the four—as one cohesive unit—had gone through together at the top of the corporate ladder: scrutiny from the media and stakeholders, impromptu meetings that demanded make-or-break decisions, and immediate responses to industry trends and regulations.

Only for them to be cast aside by no one other than your husband.

In the end, this all made sense.

Now, you understood why the therapists were once incredibly demeaning and belligerent toward you. How could they possibly sympathize with the woman married to the man who had taken virtually everything from them?

Heck, if you were in their shoes and had no further context, you would hate yourself, too.

Only now were you hearing their perspectives, and you were grateful that—compared to several weeks before—they trusted you enough to open up.

At last, all you could do was sigh and mutter, “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

Sukuna shot back without hesitation, which stunned you given how he had been the one who mocked you the most. Yet, a scintilla of kindness flared in his fiery eyes, so you continued with your tone softer and quieter.

“I feel terrible.” Such vulnerability in front of so many people at once went beyond your comfort zone. “For the unfairness Naoya had brought upon you all, and how I…I can’t change anything. I can’t do anything. All I am is…useless.”

“No, you are powerful,” Suguru interjected this time. “Your husband relies on your public image to keep scrutiny off him. He needs you. He’s been demoralizing you for months because he knows the ball will always be in your court, and never his.”

His words made you stop.

“You truly think so?” you asked.

“Yes.”

Choso, who replied, seemed honest.

He was honest.

He might throw you off from how aloof and stoic his attractive face would appear, but Choso was not a liar.

Bringing your feet off the bed, you slowly swung your feet.

“I…am surprised you all even want to talk to me.”

Toji tugged at his dress shirt’s collar and flashed his ink-covered muscles underneath. “What makes you think that?”

His pointed question made you realize how much Naoya had been fucking with your mind, blaming and villainizing you at every chance, thus devolving you into a spineless worm feeling remorse for every little thing.

Shrugging, you tossed your gaze to the side.

“I don’t know,” you admitted. “You could have avenged yourself by now. I am Naoya’s wife and Naobito’s daughter-in-law. There had been a thousand chances for you to do something horrible to me: to hurt me, blackmail me, spread dirty rumors about me, but…you haven’t.”

“Why would I do that?” Toji replied instantly and candidly. Rather than appearing offended by your judgments, he started giving you that look again whenever he had his therapist hat on—the one where he would tilt his head at a slight angle to gauge the sentiments painted across your face. “I could have chosen to be bitter and vengeful for the rest of my life, but I am grateful for what I have. Why let a toxic bunch impact my life? I already told you how that household is an absolute fucking hell. I'm glad I have found an out. At the very least, my son would not have to deal with the crap from my young adult years because you know who is the oldest male in the generation after mine?”

Megumi.

All gazes now fell upon the younger Fushiguro, who tried to casually shrug the attention off.

Who cares if I was second-in-line to leading perhaps the most prestigious family in Japan? his nonchalance wanted to convey, but his ears turned pink anyway.

Toji continued, “Then, of course, there are some people whom I care about a lot.” Using his head, he gestured to the twins. “These girls are the best aunts to my son that I, as a father, could ever ask for. They’re only one year older than Megumi, but Mai and Maki used to go on playdates with him on the weekends, walk him to school every morning, and cook him breakfasts over the holidays. The twins even helped my son take his first steps. There is this one photo we have in the library—I don’t know if you have gotten a chance before to see it. But there’s Mai and Maki, each holding one of Megumi’s little hands back in his chubby toddler days and—”

“Dad!” a very flustered and irritated teenage boy finally had to say. “This is not the time to talk about that picture!”

Next to him, a proud Mai and Maki coo and tease their grouchy nephew, poking at his puffed-up cheeks and ruffling his uncombed hair.

“Aw, is someone a little embarrassed?”

Smiling at the little banter from the trio, Toji did not let them distract him from his conversation with you. “What I’m trying to get at is…life’s too short not to enjoy the happy sides of it,” but his eyes glazed with rue nevertheless, “Now is the perfect time to focus on your well-being. Take a look around this room. A lot of people want to see you leading a fulfilling life, Y/N. A fulfilling life for yourself, not for anyone else. Not for me, not for anyone in this room, and certainly not for your husband. Nothing—and I mean absolutely nothing—should hold you back from pursuing your health and happiness.”

While you assumed that your best times were over, Toji reminded you those good days can be brought back with the right attitude. He had a point. Why should you allow your marriage to hinder you from connecting with people whom you care about, working towards the passions that brought you purpose, and feeling the love that you deserve?

Instead, you should seek every sunrise and sunset as an opportunity to live better and without regrets.

As you ruminated on this different mindset, a sudden knock from the door cut your thoughts short.

Who…

Like you, most others looked around blankly, but Toji ordered from his seat, “Let him in.”

Mai, who stood closest to the entryway, obeyed.

Once she unlocked the door, the room fell silent save for the footsteps of the man walking in, his soles creating soft echoes on the linoleum floor. Overhead, pale lights revealed the lines etched on his exhausted face, the worry that sat heavily on his chest.

“Mister Daisuke,” someone eventually acknowledged out of respect.

Your father did not hear the greeting as he searched the room, his sullen gaze darting from face to face until he found you. His shoulders fell from his overwhelming relief. Still in a suit after a long workday, he stumbled forward feebly.

“You’re alright,” he whispered between steps, scarcely audible.

He crouched toward the floor once he approached you, and when Suguru transferred your hands into your father’s, you noticed the unstoppable quiver from the latter even as you gripped him tightly in an attempt to stop the tremor.

His skin was tough, weathered by his additional decades in life. But, in his palms, you found the familiar tenderness that had comforted you since you were a little girl and, in his gaze, you noticed the sadness only found in the despair of a heartbroken parent.

“Thank goodness, you are okay,” and before everyone, tears slipped past his eyes, “I was terrified. I was so scared. When Toji called to tell me you had thrown up and collapsed, do you know how afraid I was?”

You glanced over at the said therapist, reminding yourself that—if Toji had been the CEO before Naoya—he must have worked very closely with your COO father up until recently. For your father to know exactly where you were and walk in with this expression suggested that the former colleagues had had a lengthy conversation about your circumstances. A part of you wanted to be angry. Why drag your father into this worry? But a larger part of you had always wanted to reveal to him the wretched months that had gone by and longed for his support.

And now, he was here.

The older man took a shuddering breath and brought his fingers to your cheek, holding and cradling you like he would never get to do this again.

“I can’t lose you,” he lamented. “I have lost enough in my life already. I cannot lose you, too. I just can’t. Why have you not told me the truth? If you were not happy with Naoya, why have you not told me sooner? Did you think I would place my loyalty to the company over my own child? I feel so guilty and broken to hear about what you have been going through.”

Frankly, you felt just as broken, too.

In fact, seeing and hearing your father weep like this shattered you. As devoted as your father was, his front never failed to be unwavering and strong. Even when your mother’s death left a significant hole in his heart, he bit back his grief. Scars from your mother’s untimely death scarred his heart, wounds that never healed and would stay with him until his last breath, but he rarely expressed his suppressed sorrow.

All for your sake. Because you were his one and only daughter, his one and only child.

So now, for him to see you in such a sorry state was crushing his whole world that had become you.

“Dad.” You helped him wipe his tears away, just like how he had always done for you. “I didn’t want to make you disappointed. I didn’t want to make you sad. I…I just wanted to protect you.”

“No,” he responded firmly. How could a loving father accept the possibility that his daughter would even think about placing him before herself? “Protect yourself first.”

You looked up when you sensed two more approaching individuals and found Mai and Maki with doleful smiles.

“We still have something to return to you, Y/N.”

In your left palm, each girl pressed one ring—the first which promised a future forever and the second which symbolized an infinite unity.

You stared at the jewelry as your chest remembered the waves of happiness, excitement, hope, confusion, betrayal, and pain.

So, so much pain.

Your father, who would not miss the solemn undertones in your gaze, squeezed your hands in his.

“My dear daughter,” he started, and you could tell he could no longer bear to see you suffer any longer, “what are you planning to do?”

Your throat turned dry.

Any possibility seemed like a viable solution, a means for a desperate escape.

For months, you should have prepared yourself for this very question, but now that you were confronted with this reality for the first time, you did not know what to say.

You had clutched onto the false hope for your troubled marriage to be sorted out. Escaping your dreary matrimony had once been too far-fetched of an option given an impending cold war between your families, which you would never wish upon the stars to happen. Therefore, even as you found yourself stuck on a stifling dead end, you did not exactly prepare for the next steps for the occasion you found Naoya Zenin’s mistreatment too much to bear.

However, times have changed.

Your allies and enemies have changed.

Most of all, you have changed.

Therefore, with all the universe’s possibilities at your fingertips, one particular option stuck out.

“I’m going to file for a divorce.”

last chapter || next chapter

end notes: So many things. To see us freak out at the idea of a divorce during the beginning of the fic, up to now, where we suggested the option out of our volution. Also, the much-needed heart-to-heart conversation between Toji and us, and how that really shows a slow maturation in our relationship with him (and everyone else)! Let me know what you think, and see you next chapter!

taglist: @dissociatingdiva @httpsplanetmarsdotcom @nemoyr @huangfairy @shadowarchon @203steph @agentdedf1sh @cloudybabes @lynn-writes-things @illicitwriter @7oji @kikuchimi @chaoticjojofan @musicisme333 @kumocchin @s-guru @mwahilovemylife @hey-gurls69 @cloudsinthecosmos @moon-mumu-moon @kazscara @skilerfrostfairy @funicidals @nico707 @proteovaldez @tsukiyohanayome @marimoares @qirbys @puffaloxx @sakanoshitaa @arizzu @kissditrio @lewd-bunny14 @mistyheart @szired @supsii @yvy1s @tokyometronetwork @downtown-roponggi @the-cosmos-network

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sonysakura · 3 months ago

Note

can you give any sonadow recs?

Do you mean fanfiction?? I'll admit I haven't really been reading Sonic fics outside of friends' stories, friends' recs and for participation in random events since 2022 or so. But I think I can!

First, technically this also counts as rec lists: 🔸 short rec list I made for Just Leave a Comment Fest in April. It is 5 fics I picked out of everything I had read for that event; 🔸 my reblogs of Sonadow fics and fic promos/previews.

Tbh I've wanted to do a properly organised Sonadow fic rec list for a long time, would be cool to have a spreadsheet or maybe a separate page for it... One day. This is just a fraction of my favourites due to a Tumblr post being unable to fit more than 30 divider images 💫

Since there are no restrictions in your ask, I'm going to exclude graphic sexual content, ongoing and discontinued stories, Lansoni and other subships just in case! ☝ Some info about the stories is listed/changed at my own discretion. Mostly Ao3 (stories locked to it are marked with 🔒) with some FF.net thrown in – 29 Sonadow stories in alphabetical order, from small one-shots to huge multichapters.

⚡ as the world burns by @ssolaris (Teen, No Warnings Apply, 19 314 words, 2/2 chapters) — Angst, Sci-Fi, Action

He's been drowning for a long time. And, somewhere along the way, he's forgotten how to breathe.

Apocalyptic future where Black Arms basically conquered the planet, and Eggman is still a threat, too, and there's deliciously heart-shattering Sonadow with Captain America: The Winter Soldier-like twist.

🪴 Beyond a Promise by @moralitas (Teen, No Warnings Apply, 48 804 words, 10/10 chapters) — Slow Burn, PTSD/Trauma, Slice of Life

Shadow the Hedgehog has decidedly left the past behind, but his guilt still haunts him and intrudes on his life. This is how he comes to realize that living in itself, is much more than just survival and following old promises. Life has much more to throw at him that weird monsters and life threatening scenarios- there's also a pesky blue annoyance.

Still one of the most memorable endings to a story, that makes me randomly remember about it in the middle of doing everyday tasks and think about angsty what-ifs... Extra points for Shadow & G.U.N. interactions, I'm an enjoyer of occupational novels, and there's a bit of it there; many details of Sonic & Shadow interactions I loved, too. But most of all, amazing Shadow's characterisation and development arc 🙏

🌀 bonded wind by @worksofyesterday [🔒] (Teen, No Warnings Apply, 10 421 words, 7/7 chapters) — AU: Soulmates

A swirl of white marks his ankle: Sonic has never given it much thought, except when Tails brings it up. If he meets this soulmate, he'll welcome them with open arms. If he doesn't? Well, it's too bad, but Sonic can live with that. ---- Shadow never wants to meet his soulmate. They will only ever be disappointed by him and the fact that he's only a monster in mobian skin.

Soulmate AUs are a rarity for this ship, and I love Soulmate AUs 💜 This one dives into the hedgehogs' in-AU backstories as well which is always interesting to read about!

💋 careful what you wish for by @gregoftom (Gen, No Warnings Apply, 2 014 words) — Romance, Flirting, First Kiss

"H-hey Shadow, calm down, I j--" "What. The hell. Was that," "Uh... a kiss?" Sonic says, and his expression turns to that annoying sideways smirk, except his eyes convey something similar to fear, but not quite. Good, that's close enough. Shadow should be feared. Respected. Maybe this will teach Sonic something about the respect that Shadow commanded. "A kiss," Shadow repeats, eyes narrowing as crimson bores into grass green. "...Why?"

Sonic kisses Shadow out of nowhere... And if this is what could happen in canon, this is how it would happen. This is how they would react. With a slightly bittersweet aftertaste 🥺

🌊 exposure therapy by @milkcartonkidd (Teen, No Warnings Apply, 3 523 words) — Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort

“Stop! I’m gonna die!” Sonic gasps, scrabbling for purchase at Shadow’s forearms, “I’m gonna drown, Shadow, you’re drowning me—” “Sonic,” Shadow sighs, “It’s waist deep. You’re standing.” Sonic looks down. He is, in fact, standing. “...Oh.” - Shadow tries to help Sonic get over his fear of water, with mixed results.

Amazing banter between them 🔥 Also claws & paws~

🎆 Fireworks by LockedWings (Teen, No Warnings Apply, 433 words) — Romance, Fluff

Simple, short Sonadow fluff supposed to be for the New Years, takes place on the beach.

Dare I say, poetic... ✨

📱 Hello & Goodbye by @arctic-sylvalum [series] (Teen, No Warnings Apply, 8 031 words, 2/2 works) — AU: Different First Meeting

In which Sonic is the gung-ho leader of the Freedom Fighters, and Shadow is a very serious agent of GUN. And then they meet.

I love the idea to pieces! ❤️‍🔥 Maaan, re-reading this now, this absolutely had huge influence on my Happy Endings..., I should really add the link to my Notes.

🛁 Home by Spongeiticus (Teen, No Warnings Apply, 2 370 words) — Established Relationship, Romance, Fluff, Domestic

Sonic appreciates Shadow, and Shadow loves to be pampered.

One of the first fics I read when I returned to active fandom back in 2020! Many great quotes there!

🌓 I turn to stone, when you are gone by Kotanny (Teen, No Warnings Apply, 984 words) — Angst, Hopeful Ending

Shadow escapes Infinite’s virtual reality only to find the world in pieces, all the while still grappling with the knowledge of Sonic's death.

A chilling study of Shadow's mind during Forces with melancholic Sonadow references...

🛏 I'm Here by @gerudo-mask-replica (Gen, No Warnings Apply, 4 411 words, 3/3 chapters) — Angst, Fluff, Trauma, Comfort, Sharing a Bed

The night after Sonic and friends return from the Starfall Islands, he finds himself outside Shadow's bedroom window. He doesn't really know why. Or so he tells himself.

A post-Frontiers story, descriptive in a great way... Sonic and Shadow share beds, books and conversations 🤭 Very soft and gentle!!

🫂 Inadequate by Kotanny (Teen, No Warnings Apply, 3 626 words) — Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Self-Esteem Issues

Shadow has been struggling with his worth lately and Sonic is there to remind him how valuable he is. ___________________ “Pff, right…” he mumbles quietly, and it seems it has been a mistake or a blessing, because Sonic decides to capture his lips again; an involuntary purr escapes Shadow’s mouth. “My ultimate life form” Another kiss."The best of the best–.” And another– Sonic giggles mischievously as his face turns beet red; his black ears flatten against his head, overwhelmed by the compliments. “S-stop saying that.” “Stop saying what?” Sonic leans to Shadow very close, too close. “That you are perfect?–” Oh, God.

Wounded pride and Shadow not being able to keep up with his own expectations – stars, this fic resonated with me so much 😭 Sonic is being a perfect supportive partner in there, coming up with so many great pet names!

💥 It has come to this by @arctic-sylvalum (Mature, Major Character Death, 23 385 words, 9/9 chapters) — AU: Sonic Adventure 2, Angst, Adventure, Grief/Mourning, Codependency

“I will never let you die,” Sonic vows. Where once he smiled and grinned he is now only dead-serious steel. “I will keep saving you again and again, if that’s what it takes. If this Black Doom character tries to mess with your mind and tear you apart, I will destroy him.” He’s still clinging onto Shadow. “I will."

An AU of SA2 where the ARK did crash into the planet and destroyed it, no survivors except for Sonic and Shadow. It is depressing and heavy, and it's fucking fantastic. So worth a read. M-rated "for Mass Character Death" as stated in the tags 🥲

💓 Judge my sins, not my feelings by yellothebeeloved (Mature, No Warnings Apply, 228 479 words, 22/22 chapters) — Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Manipulation, Possession/Sharing a Body, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn

Maybe he's not meant to touch. It's the newest excuse he thought of in hopes that he could prolong the game a little more; a careful ruse to enjoy the bittersweet torture of seeing the days pass them by, while he pretends he doesn't seek azure blue whenever he's restless. At first, all he wanted to do was watch: but now the desire to touch, to have, to affect is at a point where he's not sure whether reaching for Sonic would truly be fruitless. He wonders that especially when Sonic's eyes light up upon seeing him. When he corners Shadow, when he invades his space and he touches and takes and then excuses it by calling it a fight. Shadow truly wonders then: if only he was brave enough to reach out, what would his grip find? Loose stars or a battle-worn body? Standing up, he glances at Sonic again, whose eyes have now met his own. There's something heavy in the eye contact, something Shadow doesn't dare name. Neither of them say anything, and yet Sonic's eyes move away from him again, like they did. Shadow warps away, hiding from the stars once more.

M-rated for sexual tension and general horniness! So much UST, guys... Sonic and Shadow's dynamics is so special here, with both of them being aro as well. There's so much queer intimacy that I just can't explain the vibe of, just that it's special. The plot is so suspenseful and full of intrigue – I was running to read every update when this story was ongoing. It all starts with Shadow losing his body to some entity, and no one knows that it happened...

🧬 Misstep by Tirainy (Mature, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, 17 775 words, 2/2 chapters) — Established Relationship, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Depression/Trauma, Amputation, Suicide Attempt, Unhealthy Relationships, Happy Ending

What does it take to bring down a hero? A single wrong step, apparently. What does it take to build one back up? That Shadow does not know, yet.

M-rated for all that stuff in the tags obviously. It is heavy. One of my favourite Tirainy's stories, though I enjoy many of them 🙏

🪥 Moments by TheGuardianKnux (Gen, No Warnings Apply, 1 833 words) — Romance, Humor, Domestic

Sonic and Shadow weren't like other couples. A bit outside the box. But with a look at a few moments in their relationship, maybe then people can see just how much they shine together.

So domestic!! 😭 And just the right amount... This story is in a rare balance of them complimenting and pushing each other.

🌸 Petals by Tirainy (Gen, No Warnings Apply, 2 413 words) — Romance, Angst, Hanahaki Disease

One day Sonic wakes up coughing out flowers. It probably says a lot about his life when he does not start panicking immediately.

The first ever hanahaki fic for this ship on Ao3, and it has a pretty unusual twist, too! I re-read this one sometimes, really like the flower imagery in particular.

📕 shadow’s fairy tale by @wubbowrites (Teen, No Warnings Apply, 10 989 words, 3/3 chapters) — Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Crushes/Pre-relationship, Falling In Love, Slice of Life, Homophobia/LGBTQIA+ Themes, Chatting & Messaging, Christmas

While being dragged on a Christmas shopping trip, Shadow spots a familiar storybook in a store window. A particular memory hits him.

Truly a Christmas fairy tale for Shadow with beautiful writing, great pacing and a pinch of very specific sort of angst. Soft and warm in the end...

🩹 Shatterproof by @arctic-sylvalum (Teen, No Warnings Apply, 3 332 words) — Romance

Shadow didn't make a big deal of it at all, so Sonic tries to drop it too. Unfortunately being a reckless adventure-seeking teenager who doesn't care about dangers unless others get involved, makes Shadow's latest trick seem really cool. Fascinating, let's stick with that. Sonic gets kinda stuck on the idea of Shadow being immortal.

Sonic discovers Shadow's immortality while Shadow realises the implications of his own immortality on his relationships 🥺 Beautiful fic... Also there's Shadow hanging out with everyone which is cool!

💤 Sleep Paralysis by IsdR2017 (Teen, No Warnings Apply, 913 words) — Romance, Suspense

Dreaming during sleep paralysis is a scary thing.

A curious little story where Sonic has a nightmare about something he isn't supposed to remember... Mostly it's just relatable for me lol

💅 solace by @quillifer (Mature, No Warnings Apply, 6 000 words) — Fluff, Gradual Relationship, Friends to Lovers

When Shadow offhandedly invites Sonic to hang out with him, he doesn't expect it to become a regular thing. He also doesn't expect to see Sonic letting down some of his barriers, shedding his bravado, and going running with him in silence, but it soon becomes the new normal. And maybe—it's a big maybe—Shadow is getting used to having Sonic to himself.

Claws & paws! CLAWS & PAWS! Very important! Just the right amount of angst and earning/pining/longing, too... A perfect Sonadow fic. M-rated for being suggestive/mentions of sex!

💬 stay by @ssolaris (Teen, No Warnings Apply, 6 816 words) — Romance, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort

Five times Shadow lied - and one time he didn't.

A Shadow centric 5+1 spanning over a long time and touching upon SA2, '06 and Forces plot points. Shadow's characterisation is on point ✨👌

🌟 Symphony by @whitejungle (Teen, No Warnings Apply, 693 words) — Romance

An AU(ish) take on a moment in the last story from Shadow’s perspective.

A moment in Sonic '06 when they go Super... but slightly different in the softest and heart-clenching way 💓

💍 Tension by Monovailable (Teen, No Warnings Apply, 3 511 words) — AU: High School/Future, Outsider POV

Mr. Robotnik was probably the most infamous teacher at the school. The man never seemed to have a smile on his face - Ian doesn't even think he knows how to. He was strict, and punishing, and most of the students tended to have opinions on him ranging from neutral to downright terrible. If you were quiet and got your work done, he was okay. If you were anything else, the man could probably put you in an early grave with the force of the glares he'd give sometimes. All in all, Mr. Robotnik and Mr. Maurice were about as opposite as you could get. Where Mr. Robotnik was all grumpy faces and eternal anger, Mr. Maurice was bright and energetic - rarely seen without a smile on his face, and always in a good mood. Which is why it was so odd that not only did Mr. Maurice willingly choose to spend his free time sitting in with Mr. Robotnik, but that there seemed to be an ungodly amount of capital T /Tension/ between the two.

This is just absolutely ✨perfect✨👌 Like, "written for me" perfect. Relatable, same headcanons, my fav tropes, etc. In the story Sonic and Shadow work as high school teachers in the future, and their students feel this tension between them… OC-centric!

🎤 Those Eight Letters by GuardianDragon98 (Teen, No Warnings Apply, 3 144 words) — Romance, Angst, Songfic

Shadow had to agree with Rouge. The song was written with guys like him in mind. Shadow's having a hard time expressing his feelings for a certain speedy blue hedgehog and Rouge is the best wing-woman ever.

One of these fics that stuck in my memory 🙏 Sometimes a confession... doesn't lead to a happy scene.

❤️‍🔥 till we touch the sun by @ssolaris (Teen, Major Character Death, 159 110 words, 26/26 chapters) — AU: Sonic Forces, Adventure, Angst

He never thought everything could fall apart quite like this.

I was reading this one as it was coming out, and I want to re-read now... It was another one of those fics I'd drop everything to read an update for... A lot of things go very wrong, so be prepared for it to be heavy, but the Sonadow is really up my alley here, and there's Knuxamy, too... and an awesome characterisation+lore for Gadget with past Infidget... so many characters and all of them are written so well. Guys, this fic is iconic.

🏫 to falter, to fall by @quillifer (Mature, No Warnings Apply, 8 172 words) — AU: High School, Rivals to Lovers

Sonic and Shadow's rivalry is a hot topic among their peers, but when their counselor decides that enough's enough, they have to suffer through their punishments together or face the consequences. In order to bury the hatchet for good, they have to try to understand each other, and along the way, they discover that pure hatred isn't what's been fueling their fights after all.

Same as solace, M-rated for being slightly suggestive I believe 👍 Fantastic dynamics between the hedgehogs here, immaculate vibes, and this also has a side of Rougikal (+Knuxouge) and I have been enlightened ever since...

💝 Valentines Confession by Burning Underground (Gen, No Warnings Apply, 1 139 words) — Romance, Humor

When a blue hedgehog runs into you on Valentine's Day, you just have to roll with it.

It is so silly!!

☕ We never met but can we have a cup of coffee or something? by @whitejungle (Teen, Major Character Death, 3 630 words) — Angst, Trauma/PTSD

It's been almost two months since Sonic lost someone he didn't even know, but he can't stop thinking about it.

Everyone must already know this story (unless you're very new) and its spiritual sequel singularity (which is ongoing, so I'm not listing it here, but I couldn't not make a mention of it anyway 🫶). annuska's fics in general are wonderful, and it was difficult to choose my absolute favs to showcase!

🟦 Your Favorite Color by @supershadsy (Teen, No Warnings Apply, 3 391 words) — Comfort

A typical day of training takes a turn down memory lane when Sonic and Shadow discover relics from the Space Colony ARK in the depths of GUN HQ.

Sonic and Shadow hanging out through sadness and silliness ❤️‍🩹 A beautifully written story that I feel is probably one of those that influenced my own way of writing Shadow's relationship with the past...

That's it for now! Send me another ask for more recs or with a specific request for stuff I excluded (subships, sexual content, etc.)! This was fun to put together ✨

To the authors who were mentioned: PM me if you want me to unmention you. I asked some people if they're okay with being mentioned, but not all of you... Stars divider by @enchanthings.

#Anonymous #asks #link #fic rec #fanfiction #Sonic series #Sonic the Hedgehog #Shadow the Hedgehog #Sonadow #Shadonic #Shasoni #The divider limit presented itself just as I was deciding which of cozy's fics to add...#That's why you don't see cozy here #Xe absolutely should be here 😩#And I had to put into Drafts 7 more stories which I already had picked out...#Next time...#Oh well hope you enjoy anon!! 🔥

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sarahowritesostucky · 11 months ago

Text

📖"Temporary Custody"

Rating: Explicit

Pairing: Steve x ofc x Bucky; Steve x Bucky

Word Count: 3720

Tags: Dom/sub, bdsm au, dom Bucky, sub reader, hurt/comfort, enemies to lovers, gay sex'n'stuff, straight sex'n'stuff, Steve being a literal Golden Retriever, mental health issues, dub-con, forced submission, referenced childhood abuse and resultant mental health issues, bakery au, m/f/m, gentle domination, total power exchange

Summary: The stigma and shame of being a submissive has kept Mary unfulfilled and in the closet her whole life, until an inciting incident leads to Bucky and Steve taking her in and giving her everything she was always too afraid to ask for.

Trigger warnings: This story contains themes of eating disordered behavior, body image issues, childhood abuse, self-harm, and alcohol abuse.

Wait! I haven't read an earlier chapter of this fic! Story Masterpost

4. Cake Doughnuts (shitty non-doughnuts)

This is not the way Mary expected her life to go. Divorced at 29, probably unemployed, and now declared mentally incompetent and legally attached to some stranger? Ew.

At least when the cops had dragged her into the ER, she’d been drunk still. But she’s sobered up a lot since then, and ever more so during the drive from the hospital to back to Brooklyn. It’s the most awkward car ride of her life. Steve’s the one who drives. Mary doesn’t know why that surprises her, but it does. And he’s the one who leads the way into their building and up the stairs. It’s an older building with character but no elevator, so they make the three story climb on foot. Another resounding Ew.

Mary walks silently around Bucky’s (and Steve’s—because of course he’s gay and married) apartment, feeling shy and hesitant and all the things she just really doesn’t want to be feeling right now. She stops when she gets to the second bedroom, stares at its pristinely tucked-in sheets and neutral tableau.

“You can bring over any stuff you need from your place,” Steve is saying gently from behind her, where he and Bucky are lingering in the hallway. “It’ll be your room. We won’t bother you in there.”

She whips around. “How long do I have to stay here?” Better to figure it out now. Make a plan. She glares at Bucky, since he’s the one in charge of this disaster. “I’m not staying here forever.” Steve looks even sadder at her words than Bucky does, kind of like a kicked puppy. It’s disconcerting, so Mary keeps her attention on Bucky instead, forcing herself to make eye contact. “Well?”

“Until I feel like it’s safe and healthy for you to be on your own,” he says, not a hint of sympathy in his tone. That’s disappointing, and it pisses Mary the hell off.

“Screw you,” she says, not particularly loudly, but definitely full of all the contempt she feels for this guy. “You think you can just—”

He’s got her pushed up against the wall faster than she can track with her eyes. One second she’s standing feet away from him, and the next she just … isn’t. He’s in her space and against her body, one hand at the base of her throat and a thigh pressing forward, holding her to the wall. It’s terrifying and shocking and …

“Oh I know ‘I can just’,” he says darkly.

… She’d rather eat glass than tell him what else it is. “Let go of me,” she grits out.

Disappointingly, he does. Steve is just standing there like a big idiot, blinking wide eyes at the scene. Bucky takes a full step back from her and says, “Don’t curse at me, Mary. It’s disrespectful.”

She wants to ask him exactly what he’s done to earn any respect from her. She grinds the words into her teeth instead while Bucky watches her knowingly. She hates that look almost as much as she hates the way he says her name, as if he’s known her for years rather than a millisecond.

“House rules,” he says calmly. “The practicalities of what’s going to happen. We should discuss that, don’t you think?”

Steve places a hand on Bucky’s shoulder, comes up beside him and wraps an arm around his waist in a way that reminds Mary that the two are a couple. “Hey,” he says softly, speaking in Bucky’s ear. “Why don’t we let her get some rest before you go asserting your dominance, huh?” Mary wrinkles her nose at the word, and Steve regards her kindly. “You’ve gotta be tired,” he says. “You want to sleep?”

Bucky looks like he’ll protest, so Mary nods quickly. “Yeah. Yeah I’m tired.”

She watches as Steve squeezes his husband’s shoulder. “Come on, Babe. Let’s leave her to get some rest. She’s been up all night.”

Suddenly, Mary realizes that she has been up all night, and it’s almost comical, how fast the exhaustion hits her. Her throat starts to ache with a yawn that she fights not to let out in front of them. “Yeah,” she says again, this time thinking less about Bucky and what he wants or doesn’t want, and more about the bed that Steve said was reserved for her. She remembers that she feels like absolute shit, and probably looks it, too. “M’gonna sleep,” she says, turning away from both of them and heading for the bed.

The door ‘snicks’ shut softly behind her, and she assumes it was Steve who closed it. The two men's muffled voices fade off down the hallway, and even though it’s probably naïve to trust them so easily, Mary believes what Steve said about them not bothering her in this room.

She collapses on the bed that is exactly as soft as it looks. The sheets are tucked with military precision and smell like no one’s ever used them before. Mary grinds her face into the cool pillows and briefly wonders if Steve and Bucky have never had any company over to use this bed, before falling into one of the deadest sleeps of her life.

She wakes up feeling much, much better. Steve and Bucky’s guest bedroom has an en-suite, so she goes in and does her best to freshen up with the toiletries she finds stocked there.

There are three Advil Liqui-gel capsules sitting on the bedside table when she comes out. Mary regards them sharply and glances back to the door, but it’s still closed, no sign of life heard from outside in the hallway. Either the pills were there earlier and she just didn’t notice them, or else Steve is a lot stealthier than he looks. Twisting her lips, she scoops the pills up and tosses them back to fend off the headache she can already feel brewing behind her temples.

A quick search of the room’s dresser drawers yields nothing, and she’s forced to face the fact that she’s going to have to do this confrontation dressed in only her huge tee shirt from the night before. No matter, she thinks, squaring her shoulders and reaching for the doorknob. She’s got a new strategy in mind.

“I’m sorry,” she says, when she ventures out to find Bucky and Steve sitting in the living room.

Steve reaches for the remote to mute the tv, and Bucky sits back with a doughnut that he’s just plucked from a box on the coffee table. He bites into it, looking only vaguely interested "Want one?"

She spares a glance at the box. "Are they yeasted?"

"What's that mean?" Steve asks.

Another glance reveals that they're not, and Mary turns her nose up at them. "It means you're eating shitty, overbaked cake, not a doughnut," she says snottily.

Steve just blinks and looks back at the box with a little frown. Bucky takes another huge bite of his doughnut and chews it, maintaining eye contact with her and speaking around his mouthful, "Weren't you sorry for something?"

Mary purses her lips and starts over with her contrition act. “Yes. Look, I know you guys are just trying to help me. And I know I probably seem like such a hot mess to you right now.”

“Cause you are,” Bucky drawls.

Mary quells the urge to go over there and slap the doughnut straight out of his hands. That won’t help her with this new strategy she’s decided on. ‘Honey versus vinegar’, and all that. “Yeah,” she says instead. “So I’ll admit, my life hasn’t been going very well lately. And I really did need some help.” She forces herself to give Bucky a friendly smile. “So I’m glad you were willing to step in and help me. Thank you.” Bucky is looking at her way, way too unimpressed, and Mary squirms in place, thinking that he should be looking happier at what she’s just said. “Well?” she says.

He chews another bite of doughnut for a solid five seconds, swallows, then says, “How much did it hurt you to spit that out?”

She scowls. “I was trying to be nice.”

“Mm hm.” He pats the couch beside himself in a clear invitation. “Come sit down. Have a doughnut.”

She’s obeying before she even thinks about it, though at least she has the sense to take a seat on Steve’s side of the L-shaped sectional, and not Bucky’s. “I’m not hungry,” she says, just as her stomach gives a small growl.

“Well clearly that’s a lie,” Steve chuckles.

Mary glances over at him, peeved, but decidedly less so than she is at Bucky. Steve just seems less … threatening, maybe. Whatever it is, Mary pushes it from her mind.

“Look, I’ll stick around for a few hours or something if you really want to make sure I’m okay,” she says, attention back on Bucky, because she can already tell that he’s the one she’s got to convince. “But then I have to get back to my apartment.” She sees Bucky’s expression shutter at this and quickly adds, “I understand that you’re responsible for me, temporarily, technically. And I appreciate what you’ve done. I don’t want to cause you guys any more trouble than I already have. I’m going to take steps to take better care of myself now. And we can … we can keep in touch if you want. Just so you don’t ... you know … worry.” By the end of her speech she’s lost confidence, as she can see from Bucky’s expression that this is not being received well.

"Is that all?" he asks, eyebrow arched.

“Bucky,” she complains, floundering. “Come on. This isn’t … I mean you can’t just, adopt me, or whatever. I’m not some stray dog. You don’t even know me!"

He nods. “Yeah, you’re right. I don’t.”

For one brief, overly-optimistic moment, she thinks that she’s actually going to get out of it that easy.

“But I’ll get to know you. Because you’re not leaving here anytime soon, Honey.”

All of that optimism tanks straight into a sour pit of disappointment. Mary shoots up to standing, startling Steve a bit where he's reaching for the doughnut box. “Don’t call me that,” she snaps.

Bucky takes another smug fucking bite out of his doughnut. “What?” he asks. “‘Honey’?”

“Yes! I’m not your ‘Honey’. I’m not your anything.”

He licks the sugar off his lips and stares her down. “You like it when I call you that.”

“No, I hate it,” she sneers. “Just like I hate your smug, self-satisfied face. I hate men like you.”

Bucky relaxes further back into the sofa, gesturing at her with the last of the doughnut before he stuffs it in his mouth and eats it. “Men like me, huh?” he asks once he’s swallowed, infuriating in his nonchalance.

“Yes.”

He chuckles and starts sucking his fingers clean one by one. “And what would that be?” he drawls, letting his legs splay wide on the couch cushions, thigh muscles straining against the denim of his jeans. He sees her getting distracted and hums. “Hm? Pray tell, Little girl. Do enlighten me. What are 'men like me' like?”

For one, airless second, all Mary wants in the world is to drop to her knees right between his legs, put her face at the seam of his jeans and rub her cheek against his thigh, against his …

Her thoughts go unfocused, fuzzy at the edges, static in her brain. She licks her lips absentmindedly, unable to tear her eyes away from the sight of how he’s positioned himself …

“Mary.”

The sound of her own name draws her out of it, like a slap. She meets his eyes and juts her chin out, half dizzy from the effort. “Men like you think they know everything,” she grits. “Think that they’re the end-all-be-all. Men like you don’t feel any compunction about stepping on everyone around them. Men like you think you’re so fucking smart, that you can’t even fathom the likely alternative.”

“And what would that be?”

“That you’re actually just a cocksure moron,” she hisses.

Bucky tips his head at Steve. “Stevie tells me I’m a moron every other Tuesday, don’t you Babe?”

Steve shrugs a little from where he's leaning forward, holding the lid of the doughnut box open while he tries to choose a flavor. “Well, yeah.”

Bucky smirks, so unaffected that Mary just wants to scream. “So," he says. "You ‘hate men like me’, huh?”

“Yes. I do."

“That’s why you’ve spent your whole life around them, then?”

“I …" She falters. "What?”

Bucky glances over to Steve, and the two of them have some sort of silent exchange overtop the lid of the doughnut box, wordlessly communicating in a way that evidences a years’ long relationship. When they both look back to her, it’s Steve who speaks first.

“We got to read up on you a little, while you were asleep,” he says. He nods to the laptop and packet of papers on the coffee table. “Did some research. Learned about what led up to this.”

“'This'? What are you talking about?”

“You’ve been under the control of domineering men your entire life,” Bucky says, interjecting more forcefully over Steve’s gentler tone—Mary feels like she’s getting whiplash between the two of them. “First it was your father, out in Bumfuck, Nowhereville,”

“Indiana,” Steve mutters.

“Whatever,” Bucky snaps, zeroing back in on Mary with glinting eyes. “And he was ‘that sort of man’, wasn’t he?”

Mary feels a little like she’s been punched in the gut. “So what?” she says. “So you looked me up? Hospital gave you info on me and now you think you know me? You don’t know shit.”

“Your whole life, he said jump and you said how high, right?” Bucky asks, clearly not wanting or needing an answer to the question. Maybe Mary’s expression is answer enough. She’s not quite sure what she must look like right now. Horrified maybe. Or furious. “And then you latched onto the first jerk who’d give you a ride out of town.”

“Shut up.”

“Married him, too. And that worked for you alright ... Until it didn’t.”’

The backs of her eyes are starting to feel hot. “I said: shut up,” she whispers.

Bucky nods and leans forward on the couch, as if her anger and humiliation mean nothing to him. And damn him, maybe they don’t. Maybe he likes this, the sick bastard. “If he hadn’t hit you so bad, you would’ve stayed. Right? He met your needs in every other way.”

Mary shudders. “What are you talking about?”

"I'm talking about self-medicating, Honey. It's what you've been doing. Probably since you were a little girl."

She's disgusted with herself for the tears that break through, unmoored by how Bucky knows all of these things about her, and that he's able to fill in the gaps so easily. “What the hell is your problem, huh?” She swipes angrily at her eyes. “What does any of that have to do with anything? Except for that it’s none of your goddamn business?!”

Bucky softens a little. He glances at Steve, who gives him a warning look. “Sweetheart,” he says, looking back at Mary plaintively. “The drinking and the cutting, the feeling miserable and being sad all the time; that all started after your divorce, yeah?”

That … is not what Mary expected him to say. She’d been expecting more insults, more heartless jabs at her past. “I … What?”

“Answer the question,” Steve urges gently. He looks like he’s in on some secret with Bucky, something only Mary doesn’t know.

“Yeah,” she admits warily. “I mean, divorce is … well it’s divorce. It sucks. Of course I wasn’t happy about it.” She scowls and crosses her arms. “What’s your point?”

“My point is that, dysfunctional as they were, you had very specific relationships with very specific types of men, until what, like a year ago?”

“... Year and a half,” she mutters, unease creeping up her spine at where she thinks this is going.

“Right. And that’s when all your troubles started. Because let's be real: you weren't hurting yourself before then." He tilts his head, feigning curiosity. "Why do you think that is, Mary? Why weren't you falling apart before? When you had a father touching you wrong, or a husband putting holes in your drywall?"

"Stop," she breathes.

He nods sadly. "It was was after, when you didn’t have those people in your life anymore, structuring it, telling you what to do. Once you were alone, that’s when you started to fall apart.” He levels her with a pitying gaze. "Now why do you think that is?"

Oh, hell no. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Mary says. She actually takes a physical step back from where she’s standing. “You think what? I was using my douche ex-husband as some sort of a … a dom? My freaking father?!”

“Mary, calm down.”

“Don’t tell me to calm down!” She jabs her finger at Steve, who’s spoken. If she thought she’d been angry at these two before, well now she’s just … she’s just … “You’re fucked up,” she tells them, voice full of quiet fury. “And you,” she points at Bucky. “You might be diagnosed with some freaking mental disorder or whatever, but that doesn’t give you the right to put that fucked up psychology onto everyone else!” She jabs her thumb at her own chest. “I’m normal! I’m not like you. I don't–I don’t have …”

“Mary,”

“No! I don’t. I–I didn’t …” Vaguely, she starts to recognize that her pulse is pounding in her ears, that it’s getting harder to draw breaths. “My f-fa, my, my f-father…”

Bucky stands up and comes towards her. “Mary,”

“No!” She makes to push away, to leave the room, but he closes in too fast and before she knows it, he has one hand on her throat and one at the base of her skull, gripping her hair. And it’s not mean, the way he’s holding her, but when she jerks away it tugs her hair unpleasantly and she whines and stills. “Let go,” she gasps, terrified by the way his hands make her feel.

“Steve, a little help?”

Her heart lurches as she hears Steve move, sees him getting up off the couch and coming over. “Wait,” she whispers, afraid and not understanding why. Not understanding why she’s even whispering in the first place, instead of screaming like she should be. “No, wait, wait—”

Steve is behind her, and even though he’s hardly even doing anything, just has his hands resting on her lightly, Mary still feels a tremor run through her whole body. She feels so trapped. Fixed in place and terrified, but not because she thinks they’ll hurt her.

Because suddenly she can draw a deep breath again.

And she can see the look in Bucky’s eyes, can see how he knows that. “Please,” she whispers, closing her eyes when tears well to the surface. “Please, just, I just need to …”

“You’re okay,” Bucky soothes. “You’re okay, Mary. Just breathe against my hand. Breath against me, against Steve.”

She shakes her head, even though she knows what he means. With her eyes squeezed shut like this, she can feel both him and Steve so solidly, can feel the points where their bodies connect with hers. When she inhales, she feels them there. “What the hell?” she winds up whispering, more to herself than to them.

“You were starting to have a panic attack,” Steve murmurs. He hugs her from behind, and Mary shivers but doesn’t try to shrug him off.

“I don’t have those,” she says. Even to her own ears, it sounds weak. “I don’t,” she insists.

“First time for everything,” Bucky says.

They stand there for a long minute or two. Hell, maybe it’s more. As long as Mary keeps her eyes shut, she can at least pretend that it’s only a minute. It’s only once she opens her eyes that she has to face reality. When she does, she sees that Bucky’s watching her keenly. He looks … sad.

The thought that the man with one hand fisted in her hair and another wrapped around her throat is concerned for her strikes Mary as almost comical. She doesn’t laugh, but she also doesn’t feel close to crying anymore. “I’m okay,” she rasps, swallowing thickly. “I’m okay now.” Shaky maybe, but better. She can breathe again. “Really, I–I am.”

“Yeah?”

She nods, and the motion makes her all the more aware of his hand on her throat. She has to fight back a pleasured sigh at the feeling of it, fight to keep her eyes from fluttering closed.

Bucky shifts in, sandwiching her even closer between their bodies. “So what?” he murmurs. “You want me to let go of you now?”

“Yeah,” she says, not feeling like she wants that at all. “Please.”

He hums. “You’re very good at saying ‘please’,” he observes. “And at telling me you’re not submissive.”

“M’not,” she insists, trying harder to make her voice firm, or at least more than a pathetic, breathy whimper. She looks him in the eyes again.

When had she stopped looking him in the eyes? She can’t remember. She feels like she’s watching this all happen through the lightest sort of fog, or maybe in slow motion, like a videotape playing at only 70% speed. Something like that, she thinks dazedly. She doesn’t feel like she has to worry about it, though. It's warm and heavy and nice here; like being under bathwater.

Bucky’s not looking at her in concern anymore. He looks more relaxed now, nicer, his eyes softer around the edges. And he hasn't let go of her, either.

“She down?”

That’s Steve’s voice, coming from right behind. Mary likes the way she can feel the quiet rumble of it where he’s pressed to her back.

“Mmhm. Waay down.”

“Is it normally that easy?”

Bucky chuckles, it's a nice sound that Mary likes, the richness of it making her want more, like how chocolate makes you want more.

“No, it’s not. This is deprivation, right here. Poor thing.”

“Is she gonna be okay?”

“Oh, sure. We’ll just stay like this for a minute. She needs the contact."

Something about the two of them talking about her like she’s not there is … well it multiplies the bathwater feeling. She hears Steve asking a question, and Bucky making an unhappy noise and answering,

“It should never be this easy. Right now she’d go down for anyone, for even the smallest thing.”

“And she was working in the service industry?” A huff of breath hits Mary’s ear. “Jesus.”

“... Hey,” Mary says, sure that she should protest somehow.

But Bucky’s hand tightens just the barest bit on her throat, and he shushes her sweetly, tells her she’s a “good girl,” and kisses the top of her head.

And Mary pretty much forgets what she was going to say, after that.

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noroi1000 · 1 year ago

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❝𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐮-𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐢❞ Chapter 01

Satoru-Sensei | Next Chapter →

Summary: Gojo-sensei tells you that you are his. That you will always be together. Only with him. That he loves you. That you are his girlfriend. Only him and no one else. That he won't let you walk away from him. That he would never let anyone take him from him. Because he loves you and wants to spend his life with you. Your morning is as nice as your whole life.

A/n: There will be 20 chapters and epilogue.Gojo is a gentle yandere here who cares about the reader. Don't want then don't read!

Warnings in story:

Soft Yandere

teacher/ex-student relationship

Age difference (reader is 18, Gojo is 29)

NSFW (in one chapter)

fake death

Mistakes in chapters

Some say you have to look for happiness. Others say that happiness will come to you by itself.

How was your case?

Both became.

You were looking for happiness in life. That's why you decided to go to Jujutsu high. Because you hoped to find something there that you didn't have before.

And there you found someone very important to you. He himself came to you. Your happiness.

Part of the fact that your happiness is with you now came even earlier. When you were born with the Jujutsu technique that allowed you to live as a sorcerer from the beginning.

The door to happiness has opened for you.

And you just followed what fate gave you. Even though you were looking for happiness, you were looking for it among the opportunities that the moments presented to you.

You were looking for your happiness as much as you got it.

Everything that happened made sense. All the pain of your technique. That you're quiet and shy. It all made sense to get the happiness you wanted.

It all allowed you to get so close to one person… If your technique was different, you couldn't be so close to him.

If your character had been different, you would have failed as well. Even though you didn't try hard to win his love at first.

It came with time. As he got closer. When he was so sweet to you. It was the best feeling you've ever felt. With him you would never feel rejected. And when you finally felt it, it wasn't really there. Because he would never turn you away.

Life is a cycle of alternating rises and falls. Your path wasn't all downhill before. It was straight up or up.

Since you live with your lovely sensei, everything is downhill. More days go by during which you can smile sincerely when he is standing next to you.

You are unable to think about how your friends and parents feel. Because you weren't as happy with them as you were with him.

Everyone will come to terms with death someday. Every now and then someone dies in the world. You learned this honest truth in Jujutsu High. You've learned to accept death. others and even yours.

You weren't that much of a sorcerer. You had a powerful technique. But surely no other sorcerer has ever seen a young sorcerer act like you.

You refused to use your cursed energy. Because your Gojo-sensei gave you the opportunity. You could live with it without having to use technology. Because you will always be safe. And he'll assure you that your sweet face won't change.

You didn't need your technique when you lived with him. He didn't tell you to be a verb. You could just be you. His sweet girlfriend. His sweet and innocent ex-student.

You haven't been his student for two years. But you still feel like you did. Because you still like to call him sensei. Because he seems to like it. He liked it. You weren't like the rest. You used to call him "Satoru-Sensei" sometimes.

And all because he told you to call him by his name, and sometimes you forgot and you called him like a teacher.

But now that you're talking to him like that, everything's fine. Because when you say that to him, he smiles.

He takes it as sweet words. Because everything you say to him is cute.

He's not your sensei anymore. But he accepts that you sometimes talk to him like that. He still takes the form of a teacher for you. The teacher who teaches you to live. Life is not an easy task. Everyone has to know something to live. And you need a little more than other people to live with it.

You're younger than him. You were his student. You are gentle and cute. While he's been killing for years. In his hands is power that other people can only dream of. He was teaching you to work with your technique even though he didn't know it himself. He taught you something. But he gave you more feelings than science. He hugged you and took care of you. He encouraged me to keep working. Just to show you that you can let go now.

When you live with it, there's no need for you to fight. There is no need for you to use your Jujutsu technique. You do not have to do that. If you don't want to, he doesn't force you. If you don't want to be a sorcerer, you don't have to.

But I guess you never thought that after all this, he wouldn't let you be a sorcerer anyway. He won't let anything hurt you. He won't let you leave a safe place.

He almost lost you. He almost lost your smile. He almost lost your lovely pink cheeks. So he wasn't going to risk it.

He wanted to make you happy for the rest of your life. But in a place where you'll always be safe. Where no one can make your smile disappear. No one will be able to do that because no one else will ever be there for you. It will be only him.

People hurt you? They don't have to be by your side. Did non-humans hurt you? He will murder curses non-stop if he has to, to get revenge on this whole species.

You are his sweetheart. His sweet little Ashamed-chan…

But now, you're mochi to him. Baby. Sweetheart. Honey. Kawaii-chan.

Even though it was cute that you often embarrassed yourself, he didn't want your embarrassment to make you run away from his attention.

You must be lovely and loved. But you're supposed to be his (y/n).

He won't let you out into a dangerous world.

Because he almost lost you once.

The only thing you have to give him for eternal happiness with him is you.

Your happiness is Gojo-sensei. And his happiness is that you are with him.

No one could be with you but him. Toge? No. He couldn't. Yuji? Megumi? Even though they were his disciples and he trusted them, he could never trust them to hold your heart.

Your heart was tender and longing for love.

Only he could give you that. Because you only wanted him.

He has given you a lot from the very beginning. That's why he was the person you fell in love with. And no one could say otherwise. There was a lot between you. Now there's even more.

You've been here with him for almost two years. On the island. In your house. Where you feel best. Where you can spend time with him.

You were 18 now. And he's almost 30. But would you ever mind the age difference?

Gojo-sensei never changes. That's why it will never change between you either. You will be together because no one will stop you from doing so.

Only you are here. You only see his face. And he's someone you don't want to run away from. Why run away from the paradise you've been given?

You love your life with him. With your Satoru-Sensei who will always hold your hand and lead you through life.

He will not allow any danger near you. He won't let you stray from the right path. You will obediently walk holding his hand.

Because if he didn't love you, you wouldn't be here.

And he loved you so much. Most in the world. There will never be a moment when something turns out to be a lie.

Because Gojo-sensei tells you that you are his. That you will always be together. Only with him. That he loves you. That you are his girlfriend. Only him and no one else. That he won't let you walk away from him. That he would never let anyone take him from him. Because he loves you and wants to spend his life with you.

And there's not a single lie in that.

All this is the truest truth. And you don't even want to look for lies because you won't find it.

He is the most sincere and kind person you've ever met.

Your sensei is your true love.

A man who keeps his word and keeps you happy.

And in return you give him you.

For love you give him love.

"Your gentle touch in the morning always makes me melt for you."

Raising your head slightly as you lay on his chest, you stopped for a moment tracing your finger around his bare abdominal muscles.

"I'm melting for you, baby. And you don't know how happy I am. I can wake up next to you every morning."

"Sensei, Ohayo. I hope you slept well." You sat down slowly on his stomach and leaned over with a smile to give him a kiss on the lips.

A slight blush on your cheeks.

He licked his lips with a bigger smile after the kiss.

"When you greet me like that, I would never think that I slept badly. I slept with you. To wake up in the morning and see the most wonderful thing in the world next to me. To see my perfect girl sleeping cuddled up to me in my arms."

#jjk #jujutsu kaisen #jjk x you #gojo satoru #gojo x reader #gojo x y/n #jjk x reader #gojo #satoru-sensei #yandere gojo satoru #yandere gojo x reader

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complete-utter-fandom-hell · 9 months ago

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Canto VI made me realize something— if the quality per Canto keeps increasing, will we ever get a revisit of old Cantos that don't have as much content compared to the newer ones? For instance:

Canto I - 23 pieces of cutscene art, 12 backgrounds, 2 unique distortions

Canto II - 19 pieces of cutscene art, 23 backgrounds, 3 (technically) unique boss fights

Canto III - 17 pieces of cutscene art, 15 backgrounds, 3 unique boss fights, 1 in-battle cutscene

Canto IV - 39 pieces of cutscene art, 27 backgrounds, 5 (I'm 90% sure) boss fights, 2 in-battle cutscenes

Canto V - 43 pieces of cutscene art, 39ish backgrounds, 5 boss fights, 3 in-battle cutscenes

Canto VI - 29 pieces of cutscene art, 36 backgrounds, 4 boss fights, 5-9 in-battle cutscenes depending on your definition of a cutscene

Canto VI isn't a great example of this because numbers-wise it may seem like it has less, but also there was a lot more creativity in the use of resources here and most of them took a lot longer to make and had like a bajillion different sublayers

RIGHT! THE POINT I WAS TRYING TO MAKE WITH THIS. I just thought that it'd be nice to get a Canto I-III revisit or something bc like while they were introductory chapters, it sort of feels like the respective characters were slighted since they didn't really get as much content as Cantos IV-VI did. I'm sure I'll look back at these Cantos soon and find them lacking compared to Canto VII onward, but idk. It just got me thinking if we get anything more for characters whose chapters have already happened.

Anyways. Canto VI was great. I really liked it. Rant over.

(PS: I'm not saying that older Cantos are lacking, it's more that the newer ones are too good that they're raising the bar lmao.)

BUT LIKE!! IF RUINA IS ANY JUDGE, THEY CAN GO SO COMPLETELY BATSHIT WITH FUTURE CHAPTERS

This is why we should have a new Gregor Canto. Actually, every Canto is Gregor's. Limbus Company? What's that? I only know Gregor's Company

#limbus company #project moon #theory #canto vi spoilers

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weaselandfriends · 3 months ago

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Recently finished reading Cleveland Quixotic, so now I have read all six of your stories in the span of like two months. I had a serious illness and had to stay in bed during all that time and you got me through it.

Questions...

Have you read every book referenced in the chapter titles? Have you watched every (real) anime mentioned in in CxC? Have you played Bubsy 3D 2?

Is there any WoG on the connection between Aracely and CM? When reading Chicago, I interpreted CM's wish to mean that "Cely Sosa" was herself, and that Charlie Vizcarra/Clownmuffle were different identities Kyubey had conjured for her after messing with her memories as per her wish. The alternate versions (?) of them in When I Win suggest... I'm not sure. Any comment?

Obligatory who are your biggest artistic influences question.

Especially in terms of tone and thematic focus, you are the bleakest writer I have engaged with that managed not to fall into the trap of numbing misery porn (Berserk, Wildbow, etc). Is something you are conscious of and intentionally try to avoid?

Who is your favorite character, from your own books? Which character do you see yourself as most similar to?

In Modern Cannibals, Graves and Maximillion and Hussie are LITERALLY meant to be the same interconnected entity, right? I was discussing this with a friend who I got to read it, and they agreed that they were meant to be connected as different potential representations of either AH or artists in general, but I read it as them actually being some fantastical unholy trinity monster. The story has a lot of allusions to Catholicism (the game designer in one of his monologues directly compares to his position as an creator as Christ being transmuted and consumed), was wondering if this was as much of an intentional choice as I'm assuming.

Are you ESL? My friend seems to think there are a few minutes "tells" in your work, and if you were that would be the most motivating thing ever for me

Oh boy, a lot to cover here. (I love it, thank you for this ask.)

I've read almost all of the books used as chapter titles. The only chapter titles that come from things I haven't read are:

Magica Madoka Veneficus Puella, from Fargo Ch 38 (This Story's Dead) - I just happened to see the author note blithely describing the story as scrapped and thought that was funny.

To the Stars, from Chicago Ch 24 (To the Stars) - As I mentioned in an old review of To the Stars, I only managed to read about 200,000 words of this nearly 1 million word behemoth.

Dunston Checks In, from Chicago Ch 29 (Dunston Checks In) - I have not seen this movie.

As for the anime in CxC, I've seen most of it. I haven't seen Gabriel DropOut or Himouto! Umaru-chan and I've only seen 8 episodes of Revolutionary Girl Utena before I dropped it. (I have an old ask about Utena where I express my unpopular opinion that I didn't like it, to the dismay of everyone who interacted with the post, but I can't find it anymore.) I'm obsessed with lists, so I have a list of every anime I've seen with a number rating (the Dropped section is also accurate).

I have, in fact, actually played Bubsy 3D 2 (also known as Bubsy 3D: Bubsy Visits the James Turrell Retrospective), and not just seen the Dunkey video from which all the Bubsy 3D 2 chapter titles come from. (Including WIW's chapter title, MEWSEUM.) I've also gone to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, where Bubsy 3D 2 is set.

Since I keep bringing up Dunkey in this ask, I'll mention that I'm actually in four Dunkey videos. I used to play League of Legends with him in 2012. We even did a group watch of the Disney Channel original movie Don't Look Under the Bed.

2. That's an interpretation I never would have thought of, but it's really cool! (My commenters always seem to have predictions/interpretations I wish I thought of.) My mindset regarding Clownmuffle's wish in Chicago was based on the classic work of horror fiction by RL Stine, Be Careful What You Wish For (Goosebumps #12). In it, the main character, Samantha Byrd, wishes in a fit of rage for her bully/rival "to just disappear." The wish works, but there's a catch - everyone else in the world has disappeared too! Which is just like, okay at that point it's not even be careful what you wish for, you're just making stuff up. At the end of the story, Byrd fixes everything and makes it so her bully/rival gets to make wishes instead. The bully immediately wishes for Byrd to become a real bird, which she does, and nobody else in the world becomes a bird, suggesting the wish woman was just particularly screwing over Byrd for no reason.

Anyway, my mindset was that Charlie and Cely were rivals, and things spiraled out of control, so that Charlie wished for Cely to disappear. What specifically caused them to fall out? I'll leave that open ended.

3. Franz Kafka is my biggest literary influence, though as even just this ask probably reveals, I can take influence from pretty much anything. I'm probably the least Homestuck-esque creator of the many creators influenced by Homestuck, but it was a major influence. The rapper Aesop Rock is another major influence (I'm named after him). Beyond that, pretty much anything I've read or seen might be an influence on me. Cockatiel x Chameleon's two main artistic influences were Lucky Star and the Madoka Rebellion movie, for instance.

4. Honestly, I love bleak misery porn. I love just the most depressing story you can imagine. I love when a story ends and there are maybe 2 characters still alive and they're both generic bureaucrats there just because someone needs to give the final line (like in Hamlet, King Lear, and Akame ga Kill).

Cockatiel x Chameleon is probably the work that most completely realizes my artistic ambitions, and it's no coincidence it's my bleakest and most depressing work. But ordinarily I often feel like I have a duty to achieve some sort of reader satisfaction. I would not consider myself a very indulgent author. I don't know if I could even be one if I tried.

5. My favorite character I've written is Khalid "Lil Cal" Bhandari from Modern Cannibals. I love his role in the story structurally. I love how Z. is so excited to go on this road trip with her friends and then neither of her friends talk to her at all and she winds up talking to this random guy all the time who is introduced as a literal who she has to put up with. I love how he vanishes for half of the story after walking off into the desert and then reappears 50,000 words later to participate in a climactic rap battle. I love his analysis of Malkwon's rap music. He's just a really funny character with a unique role in the story.

The character I'm most similar to is Harper Praise. Cockatiel x Chameleon is my most autobiographical work.

6. I designed Modern Cannibals so that both interpretations would exist simultaneously. They could be different people, or all aspects of the same person (Hussie). Modern Cannibals dwells on questions of identity and people having different faces or sides that are not immediately seen: Not just Maximillion/Ian West, Graves/Hussie, Max/Cosplay Max, but also almost everyone Z. interacts with, who winds up revealing completely new facets of their character in their POV scenes that Z. is totally blind to. This theme of identity works both on the level of Z.'s relationship with her friends, but also on the level of the creator figures' relationship with their audience. It culminates in the final question of the story: Who is speaking the story's final words, Shirou Katsumata the game developer, or his corporate-approved translator?

The identity aspect also translates into a lot of doubles or pairs that are less explicit and more thematic. For instance, each of the three main kids (Z., Kiki, Max) winds up having a "counterpart" in the three main adults (Maximillion, Mitchum, Hussie). The POV chapters are arranged symmetrically around Max's POV chapter as an aspect, with characters either getting a second POV scene in the same position on both sides of the axis (Kiki being the first and last POV scene, Maximillion being the second and second-to-last), or having a different but similar character replace their position on the other side of the axis (for instance, Shirou Katsumata and Andrew Hussie's POV scenes exist in the same position around the axis, prompting comparison of them as creator figures beleaguered by their fanbases). By the end of the story, Z. has seemingly replaced Kiki and Max with Cecily and Maximillion, both of whose names are similar to those of the people they "replace."

So yes, all of these characters who might or might not be the same character were intentionally designed in such a way, and I think that's core to how Modern Cannibals is operating on a thematic level.

7. I am not ESL, sorry. I wonder what those "tells" are...

#bavitz #modern cannibals #cockatiel x chameleon #cleveland quixotic #fargo #chicago #dunkey #when i win the world ends

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thesilliestofgals · 7 months ago

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A Legacy of Brambles and Thorns Abridged Analysis: Elizabeth "Lizzie" Hearts

If you haven't read A Legacy of Brambles and Thorns by @c-rose2081, I highly suggest you do, as it is one of my favorite Ever After High rewrites! I would also suggest you do it before diving into my analysis, as it will contain spoilers for what has happened thus far in the story. (also, this very likely won't be proofread, so if you see any spelling or grammatical errors, no you don't.)

Lizzie Hearts is a fascinating character in this version of Ever After High. We don't know much about her other than a few details here and there from other characters when she first makes an appearance- saving Briar from being poisoned by an assassin. By doing this, Briar now owes Lizzie a boon of sorts, but interestingly, Lizzie makes it so Briar has a favor from her:

"...The wonderlandian girl stepped forward, standing on her toes to place a kiss right on Briar’s cheekbone. Startled, she reeled back in confusion, but the future Red Queen took her face in one hand, sharp nails ghosting against her skin. Lizzie continued to stare for a while before something crossed her face and she visibly relaxed. Humming a bit in her throat (the first sound Briar had heard from her) she stepped back, walking off without a word.

“Ooh, Lizzie likes you,” Maddie chirped. “You’re a lucky duck!”

No one gave an explanation as the three Wonderlandians made their exit, heading back down the hall and around the corner towards the Castleteria. Briar stared in their wake, lifting a hand to feel the smudge of red lipstick left on her face. “Darling, I think I’m hallucinating.”

“Not hallucinating,” the knight confirmed with a faint laugh. “You just received a token from the future Red Queen. Consider that a great honor.”" (Act 1, Chapter 11)

The audience soon discovers what exactly the favor Lizzie will call upon for Briar to fulfill: to return with her to Wonderland and be her champion, which is confirmed by a prophecy:

"A champion of white bears the scales and a champion of red bears the sword." (Act 1, Chapter 14)

Here's some interesting... Lizzie made it clear at the end of Act 1 that she does not like Snow trying to control the people with destiny:

"“But I will not go empty handed. The Ever Queen is a traitor, playing favorites to the White Court when she’s already promised to be unbiased. The treaty between Wonderland and Ever After is broken, and I cannot leave here with nothing. My people are in grave danger, threatened by the ivory regime. Destiny is not meant to be used as a guise for power, it is meant to be unique and ever changing, if not sometimes unfair. I will not allow my people to be bound to something falsified...”" (Act 1, Chapter 29)

This, followed by her actions in the rest of the chapter, confirmed something to me about the new Queen of the Red Court.

Elizabeth "Lizzie" Hearts is a hypocrite.

This was even confirmed by the author herself when yours truly sent in an ask expressing this!

"...(So yes, she is totally a hypocrite. If not a different flavor than Snow and with slightly different intentions)"

For further context, as I know I cannot just call Lizzie a hypocrite before moving on: After the death of her mother, Lizzie's soldiers invade Ever After High. At some point, Lizzie kidnaps Briar, manipulates her into agreeing to being her champion, and then drugs her into a forced sleep.

(WARNING: this is where it gets a little incoherent, so be warned lol)

Here was my initial thought: Lizzie says she doesn't like Snow controlling people via destiny, and then, in the same chapter, lies to Briar in order to get her to fulfill the prophecy. Now doesn't that sound familiar?

(Another little tidbit: you could argue that all the things Lizzie has done for Briar since they met was a tactic to get Briar to trust her, so she'd be more willing to agree to be her champion. Just, y'know, something to think about, too.)

But here's where it gets complicated: Lizzie is doing this for the Greater Good, in order to keep her kingdom, and by extension, her people, safe. While this doesn't excuse her actions, it does separate her from Snow White's reasonings for using destiny with the people of Ever After- control.

Something else that also piqued my curiosity is how in the story, Lizzie Hearts/Briar Beauty is tagged, and in Chapter 14, Lizzie mentions this:

"“She has ferocity and courage in her eyes,” Lizzie admitted, counting her cards as they laid before her. “But something else too, which is nay impossible to explain or describe. I wonder if it is the same feeling mother had upon finding my father as her champion.”"

She also calls Briar "my love" a few times at the end of Act 1.... hmmmmm...

It's all just so... fascinating to me. I have a feeling sometime in Act 2, Briar will call out Lizzie (I'd be surprised if she didn't), and maybe that'll be a little plot point, or maybe it won't, who knows!

This was just me word vomiting onto a tumblr post, but I really enjoyed doing it, so maybe I'll do it in the future with another eah fanfic character :)

#nonny's nonsense #ever after high #eah #lizzie hearts #briar beauty #ever after high fanfic #eah fanfic #ever after high rewrite #eah rewrite #fanfiction analysis #fanfic analysis

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justallihere · 7 months ago

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❤️👑💌

also!! So obsessed with the last two chapters of SITQ ur the official fanfic queen of slowburn, ty for actually making the built legitimately slow and building up their relationship and chemistry (although it was painful since I just wanted them to get together but it was so worth it). I was wondering if there’s gonna be some sort of pregnancy trope in the story? I’m neither for or against it was more out of curiosity 💃

❤️ What is your favorite line that you’ve written in a fic?

I’ll never be able to pick just one line but rereading this fic has actually been doing me good I forgot how much I loved Xaden in ch 29

“Of course I fucking care!” he shouted, and it was maybe the first time he’d ever raised his voice at her. “Fuck, do you really think I’m such an awful, heartless person that I could take care of you and hold you the way that I have and it means nothing to me? Do you think you mean nothing to me?”

“It’s all been yours since the day you took the crown.” He stepped closer, but he didn’t touch her. “Tell me what you want, Violet, and I’ll make it happen. You want to scream? Want to hit me? Want me to sleep on the floor for the rest of our days? Want me on my knees, begging for your forgiveness even though we both know I wouldn’t mean any apology I made?” He studied her with endless dark eyes. “I can’t apologize for doing what I thought I had to in order to protect my people before I ever knew you, and for doing what I could to protect you once I did. I’m sorry I’ve hurt you, but we have to move forward now. Tell me how.”

“Because I got you.” He lifted a hand to her face, cupped her cheek in his palm like she was something precious and holy. His thumb brushed her cheekbone. “Nothing will ever make me regret meeting you.” He let her go and stepped back. “Go to sleep. I’ll check on you in the morning.”

👑 Do you like writing short fics or long fics?

I want so badly to be a short fic kinda girlie but I like to drag out my slow burn and character development too much lol

💌 Is there a favorite trope you like to write?

Slow burn!!! The slowest of slow!! Other than that forced proximity and enemies to lovers. Basically, sitq is all the things I love

Thank you thank you!!! 🩷🩷 no pregnancy trope around here. I still can’t imagine this version of Xaden and Violet having kids, so I doubt I’ll even do an epilogue or anything including it

#writer asks #storm in the quiet

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kyouka-supremacy · 1 year ago

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hi! I've been going through your blog and I love all your analyses, we may not agree on everything but it's definitely fun to read and eye-opening and I'm grateful to see someone looking into bsd with such depth and whipping out whole essays <3

On that note. There was a fan theory I read when dead apple came out (for the life of me I cannot remember the source, if anyone knows please tell me) that Atsushi's healing ability applies only to the injuries caused by other abilities, and he can't heal from non-ability things like guns etc. The op cited the scene in ch18 where Atsushi is caught in a shooting, and healed by Yosano in the next chapter.

This theory came about because 1) in dead apple, Shibusawa says that the tiger is "the antithesis to all abilities" and "the ability everyone desires." Then we never get the reason why Shibusawa was so obsessed with Atsushi. And 2) in ch7 after sskk's first encounter where Atsushi's leg is severed, Yosano takes a look and thinks "there's no scar, it's more of a restoration than a regeneration."

The gist of this is that I like the idea of Atsushi not being 100% invulnerable. And, if his is indeed the antithesis to all abilities then I'm excited to see what that entails; it implies that in the face of a time travel ability, he would be able to turn back time (if he knew how to use it ofc, cough Fukuchi fight cough). If the book is tied to an ability, Atsushi may be able to undo changes done by the book? he may also nullify Dazai's nullification? idk this opens many doors. Anyway! this is my fave bsd theory. I think, with how Akutagwa's ability sort of completes Atsushi's, and with the whole Rashomon being able to eat space, maybe with this development it will also "eat" a portion of the timeline, as in, undoing the events that occurred? is this making any sense? sorry for the rant I'd love to hear what u think, thanks <3

Hi!! Thank you for your kind words, they mean a lot!!! Could this be the post you were looking for? Funny enough, it was at the very top of my reblogs queue. Indeed, it's an extremely insightful theory!!!

So, there's a lot to unpack here. Ever since I've read that theory, I've found Yosano's thoughts regarding Atsushi's healing from chapter 7 extremely interesting. It's curious, because the nuance gets completely lost in the official English translation:

(Raws → fantranslation → official Yen Press English translation). As you can see, the meaning gets totally lost in the last one. It almost makes me wonder if it was an intentional change due to the fact that the plot point won't be brought up in the manga in ten years (much like opting out of adapting the Steinbeck Guild uprising in the anime, since that plot point has been apparently discarded), but I hope that's not the case.

All taken into account, I don't think it's a stretch to say Atsushi's ability, due to his quality of denying other abilities, can only quickly regenerate as far as other abilities wounds go. When I was reading the manga I thought it was only plot convenience and suspension of disbelief, but taking a closer look perhaps the pattern of wounds not caused by abilities taking longer to heal isn't coincidental: it already happened with the wounds he suffered from in the orphanage, which ended up leaving scars (chapter 28), with the Guild's attack, which was of unknown nature but required Yosano's help to heal (chapter 18-19), with Twain's sniper attacks, which as the theory's Op point don't seem to have healed immediately (chapter 29). But in my opinion it's still too little instances to be able to affirm with certainty that it's not just coincidences dictated by plot convenience.

I do have a feeling there must be Something to Atsushi's ability. it can't just be tiger transformation and wounds regeneration. He's the protagonist, and leaving it at that, that's about the lamest ability of them all (sorry!! I love him still!!). I like the idea of Atsushi's ability being truly special, carrying qualities that have yet to be unfolded that make it different and somehow above the other abilities. I really think it'd be the most satisfying progression narrative wise, because so far Atsushi has gotten really little to claim for his protagonist role, being constantly overshadowed by Dazai; but he's the main character still, and it's like the story itself is waiting to reveal what makes him special. And there being something special to his ability has been, though subtly, consistently underlined: the extraordinary bounty on his head that nothing about what we know seems to explain, the fact that the Guild wanted to capture him specifically, the no further elaborated on fact that he's the key to finding the Book, Shibusawa's concern with him and, most importantly, the ability's quality of tearing through other abilities. Like, that feels very relevant; it's different from Dazai's nullification ability in the way it doesn't just temporarily nullify the other ability, but straight up denies it. I feel like in a manga that is so littered with meta commentary on literature, it'd be fitting to have an ability that denies other abilities' very existence, like moving an eraser through the page. It's certainly interesting to think about. And I like the concept of Atsushi's ability as an alternative to Dazai's nullification ability. Dazai has been feeling invulnerable so long, it would be gratifying to contemplate the existence of something that's outside of his sphere of influence, and potentially even more powerful and destructive than he is.

Again, there's already so many elements that make it impossible to ignore the uniqueness of Atsushi's ability; but even then, they're still so sparse and obscure it's really hard to take a guess on what it could really be about, or what is the reason why it's special. There's so much space for speculations - a connection with the book, a singularity, a God-like ability just to name a few -, but in my opinion none of them have any concrete enough canon basis to leave space for theories. I think I'd rather limit myself to say it would make a lot of sense for it to be an ability superior to other abilities, since it's something that has the power to tear through abilities themselves, and I believe that such quality is also coherent with its link to the Book as another ability-originated, extremely powerful object. The ability's power to rewrite reality, if only to a smaller extent compared to the Book, may further hint to its connection to the Book / being originated from the Book / sharing origins with the Book. When the ability immediately helps Atsushi regenerate from ability induced wounds he is lowkey rewriting the story to portray a reality where Atsushi wasn't hurt, and when he tears abilities apart it is lowkey rewriting a story where the ability didn't exist. In that, I believe it wouldn't be too far-fetched to draw similarities with the way the Book works. This also made me realize that where it's confirmed that the Book's altered reality to the point of changing the ada's memories so they remembered committing the terrorism crimes, I'm pretty sure that we never got the confirmation the same happened to Atsushi. Then, what if the book can't have effect on Atsushi due to his ability, but only on the reality surrounding him.

So yeah. I'm curious to see how this will unwrap, although I have my doubts I'll still be around when it does (man, the manga is going to take another six months just to catch up with the last anime episode, so you know). I really really like the concept of Atsushi's ability developing in a way that will make it more functional in a rematch against Fukuchi. I've been advocating for a sskk vs. Fukuchi rematch for years at this point, and it seems like we will indeed be getting it; and sskk BETTER win it this time, it wouldn't make any narrative sense to be otherwise. But to do that they'll have to overcome their biggest disadvantage that is Shintou Amenogozen's time manipulation, so you know!! Looking forward to see a sskk that is now mature and experienced unveil new skills to their abilities.

#Sorry I know this was sent ages ago it's just. Between the con / exams / falling sick for a week I barely got time to do anything else ;;;;#But thank you for the ask!!#Love talking about Atsushi I really hope once the manga is caught up with what we already know he'll have more screentime to shine #atsushi nakajima #bsd #bungou stray dogs #bsd analysis #bsd theory #people asks me stuff

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connoisseursdecomfort · 2 years ago

Text

A mini character analysis on Twilight/Loid/[redacted]

As much as I am a tiny bit sad that Loid is still not having that reflection I want him to have after the last arc, I think I will have to remind myself something I posted somewhere else:

“The problem is, Twilight is inching towards his hidden self, [redacted], instead of running towards being ‘Loid’. As much as we want to believe that [redacted] is closer to ‘Loid’ in nature, and that he could have become ‘Loid’ if war didn’t happen, ‘Loid’ is still a work persona created by Twilight to complete Operation Strix. This persona allowed Twilight to ‘love’, but it is also a constant reminder that it is a facade. ‘Loid’ was a middle ground for Twilight to get back in touch with [redacted]. But now it has become a battleground where Twilight and [redacted] are having a standoff.”

I’ll be as patient as I can be.

(Manga spoilers ahead: and an analysis of ch.77)

I see people on twitter saying that everything we love about Loid has gone downhill since ch.62. I don’t necessarily think so because we have ch.68, but it is kinda true he doesn’t seem to get much development on the dad/husband department since the end of the cruise arc. To a point that people started to be angry at him and Endo since ch.75.

Loid has been in this utter confusion since the cruise arc. Before that, he doesn’t realise he has this confusion - he has been able to use the excuse, you know, Loid “for the mission” Forger, to justify everything. The cruise arc is really the first time he’s not on the mission. Basically it takes 50 chapters for Endo to finally ask Loid this important question, “What if it’s not for the mission?”

This poor man has been confused ever since, like in ch.76:

This is, of course, just this stupid man’s way of asking if he’s a good enough father for Anya for the mission. But it doesn’t go away easily. He has been a spy for more than a decade. And before that he was alone for years. Being a Forger for only three months is not going to reverse that many years of trauma.

But his true self is winning. Has been winning since ch.62. He still tries to rationalise everything using his spy radar, and somehow he ends up being absolutely genuine.

In ch. 62, right after this scene where he deliberately reminded himself that this is “Loid’s” house:

He somehow chose to be a real dad instead of being a good spy:

And the same thing happened again in ch.66:

Sandwiched between all the spy-talks he had in his head, there is this transparent bubble. This is also the bubble that convinces me that he knows she is keeping secrets, but somehow he doesn’t care. But this is for another day.

His head says spy, but his actions always speak otherwise.

Endo loves to play with the idea of misinformation. He blatantly said in the fanbook that the info Franky has on the Garden is an exaggerated version of it, and is not accurate. The more obvious example would be the Handler’s arc in Ch.63. This is a story about secrets and lies, but there is a grain of truth in all the lies these characters tell us. Especially Loid “for the mission” Forger. From day 1 we knew Twilight’s a liar and a very cool one. But somehow Endo also makes him to be this genuine and sincere man. And he also needs therapy.

So Endo shows us how much he really needs therapy, just look at all these similarities, like this:

Ch.77

Ch.62.3

Or this: Ch.77

Ch.22

Ch.67.1

But the real fear is always this: am I worthy for the family? Does she feel that I am worthy enough?

Ch. 77

For Loid “for the mission” Forger, this basically translates to, my wife and daughter are upset my mission is failing because I’m not good enough I’m a bad spy. He has hit himself with this “bad spy! bad spy!” mentality so many times, it’s basically a running gag now.

Ch.10

Ch.17.5

Ch.29

Okay I give up finding every single panel of him panicking because it’s too much. But I think you get it.

Mr. Austin is so obviously a foil for Loid. As the therapy unfolds, we were trying to figure Loid out just as Loid tried hard to figure Mr. Austin out.

Loid even asked the same question we want to ask him:

Isn’t that exactly why people are mad at him now? Is he lying to himself when he says for the mission, or is he just lying to us the whole damn time?

I think the problem is that we are all expecting Loid to be his actual persona. And it could be. But Ch.62 is also reminding all of us that “Loid” is something invented by Twilight. Even Twilight is something invented. By [redacted]. We love Loid. We kinda like Twilight, mostly because he’s hot af. But do we like [redacted], the man with all the flaws and merits Loid and Twilight have?

You see, like father, like daughter. Anya and [redacted] really don’t know what normality is. In Ch. 76:

And in Ch. 77:

They really don’t know what it is like to be a normal family, although they are already in one, and they sure feel very loved.

Remember back in Ch.10/Ep.7, when he said this: “I wonder what it’d feel like to have a real family.” This really is Endo asking [redacted] the same question, “What if this is not for the mission? What if you are in a real family?”

And [redacted] still doesn’t know the answer, although the answer is really there right from the start. He is this stupid, stupid man, who’s also absolutely traumatised and utterly confused. But you know what? If this is a story about recovery and rediscovery, then:

#spy x family #loid forger #sxf #spyxfamily #chapter 77 #spy x family manga #agent twilight #sxf twilight

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why-not-a-tickle-blog · 4 months ago

Text

My Writing Masterpost

Updated as of 9/12/2024

To check if there are any newer fics since this has been updated, look for the tag #my fic

You can also read many of these on AO3

My Multi-chapter Fics:

We Could Try? 1, 2, 3,

Patton had found out. He’d found out not only that Virgil was ticklish, and not only that he actually liked it, but also that he’d never had a real tickle session.

Sequels: I do not understand, The Price of Cookies

Grumpy, Sorry

Virgil is grumpy and gets tickled by Patton, and tickles him back a bit. Later, Patton gets him back even more.

Tickle Week: Sunday, the idea, Monday, Dee and Logan, Tuesday, Patton and Roman, Wednesday, Roman and Virgil,

“Well, seeing as there are six of us, I propose a tickle week. We’ll leave Sunday off, but every other day we’ll put names in a hat and draw one, and whoever’s name is drawn becomes a tickle toy for the whole day.”

The Tickle House:

Virgil’s New Job,

At the End of a Bad Day

Scribbling

There’s a place called the tickle house, where you can pay to tickle or be tickled. Virgil and Janus work there, and the others often visit.

Tickletober 2020:

One: Unusual Spot

Two: Feathers

Three: Stocks

Four: Scribbling

Five: Drawn on

Six: Kiss

Seven: Unusual Tool

Eight: Interrogation

Nine: Ganged Up On

Twenty-Three: Asking For It

My One-shots:

Roman’s Idea is Best

Written with @barelyticklishlee: Roman has a fantastic idea for Thomas’s date. Virgil doesn’t agree, at least at first.

When Patton gets into a Ler mood at the same time as Virgil is in a Lee Mood.

Pretty self-explanatory

A bit of something soft

Patton’s having a hard day, so Virgil cuddles and tickles him

Cheating at Games is Ill-Advised

Virgil cheats at a tickling game with Logan, and gets very tickled.

Pay Attention

Virgil can’t pay attention to the conversation with Roman and Patton tickling him.

Beware of Running Away from Lers

Virgil tries to run away from Roman

Arms Up

Virgil tickles Roman’s armpits

Belly

Patton feels fat, but Roman still loves him just as much, and wants him to feel so much better.

When Patton has a Hard Day

Patton is feeling down, but tickling Virgil might help him feel better~

Unnamed Fic

Logan gets soft back tickles from Roman.

The Sweetest Lee

Tickling a sweet little lee is just the best thing ever~

It feels better when you just let it happen ;)

Cuddly tickles for Roman.

Remus Catches a Lee

Virgil's been caught in a trap and gets tickled to pieces.

Virgil’s Voice

Virgil wants tickles, but can't voice his requests, so Roman helps him out, getting him all the tickles he wants.

Dwindling Creativity

Roman shrinks down as Thomas's creativity is used up. Janus helps to distract him from his work.

Sacrifice

Patton is gonna tickle someone. If not a sacrifice, then everyone~

Requests:

Roman wants to join

Lee Roman

14 and 25 with Lee Deceit and Let Patton please?

No regrets, with Roman and Remus maybe?

oh requests?? hmm maybe either 22 or 25 w lee virgil and any ler you like?

14 with LerRoman and LeeLogan???

w/ pat ro and lo testing which of virgil's spots is the worst

Tell that to the tickle monster: Ler Patton and Lee Virgil.

16 Any pairing u think fits!!!!

I know something sweeter than cookies: same pairing, Ler Patton and Lee Virgil.

maybe 29 with ler!patton and lee!logan?

4 with Lee Roman and Ler Deceit?

11 with Ler Logan and Lee Roman please

22 with Lee Logan and Let Remus please?

19 Lee Deceit and Ler Virgil and Remus please?

Do you think you could do 3 with a lee Deceit?

9, with Roceit? :3

16 and 7 with Lee Deceit and Ler Patton please

Shy Lee Janus being forced to ask for tickles from Ler Logan?

Logan noticing Virgil having a bad day and and just having him lay down and giving him a pillow to giggle and blush into while he traces Virgil's back with his fingers or fluffy brushes to help him relax❤

Moceit cheer up tickles? 😃 (Lee Patton and Ler Janus, if you would)

oh prompts! maybe lee Patton ler roman with some sort of challenge? (Don't move, laugh, smile, whatever)

What about a lee!Virgil? (ler!your choice. Preferably a twin.) Someone comes in to wake him up from a nap, or something, with pokes. Virgil is still half asleep at this point, so he has no filter.

Lee Roman denying his in a Lee mood but Janus is behind him smirking because he knows when someone lies?

So, peharps a bit of Lee!Janus and Ler!Roman, please? Maybe Janus is monopolizing Roman's bed because it's soft and warm and g e t o f f XDD.

Lee!virgil ler!roman? That’s my everything lol

What about Lee Virgil being pranked with tickles by Remus but once Remus stops he shyly asks for more? Please and thank you!

If you're still taking requests maybe lee Janus being overly grumpy and getting cheer up tickles from Logan?

How about Remus acting as annoying little brothers do, and Roman getting back at him with some extra teasey tickles

may I request lee Logan and ler Patton where Pat's just gushing over how cute Lo is while tickling him?

Can please do some Lee janus and ler patton? Like Janus is being suspicious, and Patton is trying to figuring out what he is doing.

For the prompts thing how about Patton ticking Logan to make him take a break from working?

Ler Logan and Lee Remus, if you are up for it. Remus starts to bother Logan while he is working and Logan gets payback with tickles, knowing secretly that Remus wanted this to happen. ???

Pre-Accepting Anxiety Virgil walks in to the common room to see the Light Sides having a tickle fight, cue big Lee MoodTM. So now he's awkwardly trying to keep up his bad guy persona while desperately trying to figure out how to tell them that he NEEDS to be WRECKED!

Prompts! How about Patton tickling Logan to make him take a break from working I can never get enough of that! 😂

Lee!Patton and Ler!Logan (or whoever you wish!) Patton has always been the mind palace tickle monster and after a week of his evil ler moods and tickle attacks Logan turns the tables and gets revenge tickles?

Ok so... after Accepting Anxiety, Virgil is a little shaken from his name reveal. He sorta hides away in his room because he’s embarrassed, until Roman comes in to check on him and cheer him up and make him feel welcome with tickles 🥺

Logan maybe gets hurt, (trips or bumps against something) and Patton decides to tend to him, making sure he's not injured badly, but it turns out Logan is ticklish where Patton is examining

Ler Patton Lee Deceit - Patton accidentally brushes by Deceits scales and it sets Deceit into a fit of giggles. So Patton gets curious and starts to poke and stroke the patches of scales that are all over Deceits body. And Deceit secretly not so secretly enjoys this

Maybe some cheer up tickles with Logicality where both were watching a show and a tickle scene appeared and person B is like "Oh, this is a signal. That is how I should cheer up my friend."?

How about lee!janus and ler!virgil where Virgil remembers Janus being super ticklish back when he lived with the dark sides still and decides to see if he's still that ticklish.

Could you do a college AU where the core 4 are in their university’s theatre department? Like... they all are walking back to the dorms and they find out Roman is extremely ticklish and tickle and tease him the whole way back??

How about lee Logan hiding his lee mood from Virgil?

lee!Virgil and ler Patton, Logan, and Roman. Virgil has a huge lee mood and is way to shy to ask to be tickled so he drop little hints to try and get tickles( more like Virgil being an a** and a bratty little sh*t). The sides act like they don’t know what he want, but do. So they force him to ask

anything lee logan? I would DIE for lee logan

Okay I’m bored and I need lee!Virgil and lers Janus and Remus

Anything lee Logan would be delightful! Thank you!

I was wondering if you could do something where Virgil gets stuck somewhere and the twins find him and team up to take advantage of the situation? Thank you in advance, your work is amazing!

I would like to make a trade. I will give you a boop for lee!Logan ler!Remus. :D

Janus with hypersensitive scales is the bestttt so how about a rude snake getting tickled to tears by an unforgiving Ler Logan? Maybe using a new tool that makes Janus scream?

#my fic #sanders sides tickling #tickle fic

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shadowlink06 · 1 month ago

Text

Script: Home Deep Dive - Who is the Antagonist of the Story?

Hello darlings, I’m back with a mini critique of Home. For now there is a pressing issue that I want to ask readers of the comic. Who is the villain in this story? I’m not trying to be funny or anything, but I genuinely want to know. There are rumors that there are only 4 more chapters left within home. Trying to use the excuse “Just be patient” has long run its course and has been the same thing Kique has been saying for the past 5 years. We are at page 743 at the time I’m writing this script and the villain, and more importantly the plot of the story should have been addressed at the midway point if not one quarter in of the story. Unfortunately because Kique is ghost writing, he lost the plot to his own story.

For some context, and for those that are unaware I have been writing for a long time. My background is heavily into the role playing genre of OCs for over 15 years and recently I've gotten back into fanfiction writing. I'm shamelessly pro-villain. What I mean by this, is when I pick up a story, whether that be a video game, a book, a role play or anything in between, I'm going to look at how the villain is presented in the story. Not going to say that I will fall in love with them, but I do gauge villains a lot harsher than I do the hero in the story. You might have heard of the adage of the “hero is only as good as the villain” and there is truth to that statement. The more that a villain pushes the hero, seeing how the hero responds from the emotional and physical standpoint. It moves the story, it gets readers emotionally invested. I write about the same subject matter as Kique, maybe you can argue worse because I have little hesitation on truly fucking up a character. The only difference between us is the genre. I don't write about feral or even furry stories, I'm just not interested in them and you know, gotta write what you are comfortable with.

Still, there is a lot you can glean which is why I wanted to tackle this subject. I have a hard time believing that there is a true villain within Home. Sure there are pseudo-villains and just awful characters presented in the story, but not one of these characters stick out to me and makes me root for what they are trying to accomplish when we look at the story as a whole. I will present the villains or ‘could be’ villains and give examples of what is wrong within the story in regards to them. I’ll be saving Ranach for last because there is so much wrong if he turns out to be the true villain of this story.

The Night Beasts:

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/29/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/68/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/139/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/191/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/279/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/300/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/409/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/530/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/532/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/542/

One of the more prevalent problems is how the night beasts come and go by the whim of the author. In early Home, they were crawling all over the place the moment night settled over Aedra. They were painted out to be a huge issue to the dogs on Aedra and took the lives of many innocents since no one could figure out how to deal with them short of keeping them away with fire. In later Home, Kique just drops these guys from his story. Notice that when night scenes happen, ghouls are nowhere to be found.

We learn later that the nightbeasts are being facilitated by the actions of the past MT Jarls, but Aira seems to be the only cognizant individual in this entire fucking story that knows how to break the curse of the nightbeasts. Notice that no one gives her credit for this discovery or is this plot point ever brought up again.

The only time when the Nightbeasts come up is when it is convenient to the plot. The last major instance of them being mentioned was at the Tinget, and none of the dogs there wanted to try to fix the nightbeast problem which shows how self centered these assholes really are. I have zero pity for the plight of these dogs after the way they acted like burning a body was the ultimate sin, yet those fuckers have to USE fire to keep the night beasts away.

There is also an inconsistency whether they have a real body or not. Fjordor’s implied that when Vaja lost her life to the beasts, she peeled her own skin off and became the black ghouls that we have seen in the beginning in the comic. However, after Zilas was killed and was ‘haunting’ Keirr, we see that he seemed to turn into smoke when Aira fended him off. Yet for some reason, Zilas’s ‘real’ body was able to be burned and his soul was released into the beyond or something stupid like that. This is actually an oversight that leads one to a lot of confusion but I guess Kique doesn’t believe his readers are aware of this notable error.

Either way, the ghouls in the comic are an afterthought these days and they have no purpose within the comic. Think about how the wall for MT was damaged. Notice that there is no danger or mention of the night beasts getting into the territory despite this safety issue. Despite being in open territory, Southspear and even Asmundr don’t interact with the night beasts. No one is concerned because god forbid we take away screentime from Roamer, Rogio, and Ranach.

Meteor Tribe (Pre-Ronja):

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/40/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/52/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/58/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/72/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/76/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/92/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/104/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/107/

I’ll be mostly speaking about the MT under Arenak since that seems to be a long established tribe with their particular… traditions. Ranach briefly had a stint with being the Jarl, but I’ll bring this up in his topic later. For now let us dissect why Kique seems to be ghostwriting when we examine the MT.

The first time we see an MT dog is when Ferah kills one that recently downed a rabbit for food. She wastes no time disposing of him to the horror of Zilas and Ronja. The next instance is Kargo meets a scout that was following the Asmundr pack. Kargo and the scout get into a flight, and it's shown that there is bad blood between Kargo/Ferah and the MT.

The beginning of chapter 3, we are introduced to the character Ranach and we see him and a member sweet talking Galti and Alva to join them so they can help them and their pack. It turns out they have woken up on this planet and have been here aimlessly for a month. Given that Ranach also sweet talks Ronja, it is apparent that this character has a habit of luring unknowing dogs into his tribe.

Later when Roamer wanders off with Kargo, they meet yet another MT dog Savas. This is Ranach's brother and after making rather lewd remarks to taking Ferah for himself, Kargo in a fit of rage kills him. We then get a small blurb of the way that those in the MT tend to get brainwashed and conditioned to serve the tribe when it is revealed that Kargo killed his own brother Ralek for trying to take Ferah back to the tribe. It is further elaborated that MT is a brutal society that work their members hard. Females in particular are used as no more than breeding stock that are the property of the Jarl. The males undergo rigorous training and Kargo was taken away. After two years, Kargo resisted the brainwashing tactics and decided to lead a rebellion against the MT and their ways. The end result is that Kargo, Ferah and a few members escaped, but the ones that were trapped ended up being killed.

Ranach takes Ronja into the MT territory. Unknown to anyone though, Ranach ordered Rogio to poison the Jarl Arenak's meal. As the last living member of his bloodline, Ranach is named the new Jarl. And well… that's pretty much the end of MT as was presented in the story. I'll hit on what happens with Ranach is in charge in his topic, but for the most part that's the end of the MT before it changes in the hands to Ronja.

To sum up, MT was a well rounded antagonistic tribe of the story. Filled with all of the negative traits and tropes that one would expect out of a villain in a story. For now, let's move on.

Rohgir:

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/39/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/55/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/108/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/171/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/212/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/227/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/234/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/251/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/372/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/385/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/400/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/671/

This was such a confusing plot point. In the beginning, Jalha hinted that she had a feeling that Rohgir was hiding something from her. After Jalha and Rhovanian had their little fight, she stumbled on a portal that leads her into the sanctuary of Akiulfrs. There she finds out that Father created different bloodlines and this is the second generation of Akis. According to Rohgir, they are staying on the island to grow in population before they can venture to other parts of Aedra. I’m rather confused about where this “mission” that Rohgir states comes from. As far as the readers know, Father is interested in keeping the Asmundr pack safe and has never mentioned the Akis. Also I find it odd that Rohgir is interested in low key eugenics when Akis were made as a result of dogs mating with a Liulfr. It really doesn’t make much sense. Regardless, the next scene we see with the Akis is the group hunt where Jahla meets Thakir. It turns out while Jahla was with the Aki’s the Asmundr pack was relocated and Rohgir was aware of it happening. He justifies his actions by telling Jahla that he only did it to convince her to stay with the Aki tribe.

When Jahla speaks to Thakir again, he brings to light the problems that come with Aki island. Mostly that there are many Akis that feel “trapped”, unable to view other places around Aedra. They also didn't grow up with parents leaving them with an identity crisis that can't be filled. Each of the Akis needs room to explore who they are and their purpose and it is stifling to be kept on the island long term. Thakir further states that the mental health of the tribe has diminished and eventually his words will not reach them as they lanish in despair. Jahla confides to Thakir that Rohgir has been lying to her and she can't understand why he is insistent on being here not knowing the culture or the Akis in it.

Things come to a head when Jahla is taken to the ceremony called the Path of the Chosen. It is there that she learns Rohgir has rewritten the history of what happened in the events of Asmundr. This enrages Jahla and she demands to know why he did that which he replies it was to give them a sense of purpose. Jahla notes that it only boosts their ego and Roghir slaps her, setting off a brief skirmish.

When Thakir tries to get Roghir to see reason, he points out that the dogs are well aware of their existence and do not approve of them. He notes that they plunder, raid, discriminate, and abuse each other and don't believe in the gods - which is the damn truth I might add. Roghir goes on explaining he wants to retain a pure species again and Jalha and Thakir gets banished from the tribe.

It isn’t until chapter 12 that we see Aegier be rescued from the dogs and he comments that Roghir has changed. Notice that how he is changed is not expanded on, nor do we get any further information about this matter. And so far, that’s the only mention of Roghir that we’ve gotten in the entire story. I never thought that he was an enemy to anyone. He just wants to chill with his pack and be left alone so it’s rather odd that Kique keeps trying to give him this edgy personality. Sure he might be going about looking after the pack wrong, but if anything, that makes him nothing more than a cult leader, not a villain in this story.

Avanti:

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/421/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/435/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/558/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/565/

I have to include her since she has killed dogs within the comic. She was a summoned beast that was under the control of Ranach. She has the distinction of having hands like a human and ironically enough the comic would have been coherent if -all- of the characters looked like her. Regardless, she killed Jonna, Fuss, and Ulfir under the orders of Ranach. When Ranach assaulted MT after Ronja took over, she fought Rogio who broke the curse upon her by smashing the necklace that bound her to Ranach. After apologizing to Rogio in an odd language, she disappeared.

My issue with Avanti isn’t that she knows another language, but how come none of the dogs (that are supposedly intelligent) not know the language of the aliens? One of the things that bothered me about Avanti was when she was speaking to Rogio she was using the alien language. Did Rogio understand her? It's not really clear.

While we are on that subject, what are the chances about Avanti or Walrus Jesus not passing on the Alien language to the locals? Even if they didn’t, wouldn’t they be smart enough to write it down or have dogs to translate the works? They have scrolls therefore the act of writing and reading is established in this world. The fact no one knows the alien language is a cop out and a poor world building choice. How does Avanti know the common (English) tongue? When did she learn it? From Ranach? No information or explanation.

The Lone Wolf:

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/431/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/671/

Look, Kique can have 100 dogs say how terrified or hurt they have been with the lone wolf attacks, but it means nothing as Kique refuses to show any foreshadowing or even show that this character actually exists within this comic. We’ve only had 3 mentions of it throughout the 750 pages so far. Notice that we never see the dogs that were supposedly injured by this character, it’s all done off screen. I am convinced that this mcguffin exists just to give credence to the racism that Kique does in this comic which is kinda disgusting when you think about it. Wolves and dogs descended from each other, that’s just a fact, so why dogs show such fear towards wolves is odd. I’ve said this before, but a Southern Jaro can be mistaken for a wolf rather easily. I’m sorry but the dog tribes in this comic aren’t exactly painted as just and understanding, so of course I’m going to assume it’s one of them that did the attacks. Kique honestly should have done this, but because he is not using foresight in this comic, it’s a missed opportunity.

Southspear:

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/524/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/546/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/592/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/618/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/626/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/749/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/776/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/790/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/802/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/845/

I had to wind back the pages to when Southspear was first introduced in the comic. It was actually when Jalha met an injured son and his family in their territory. Notice that the tone that was set for Southspear was one of danger. If you didn’t tow the line, you would be attacked and forced out of the tribe or killed. The mother states that Southspear’s way of life is killing them.

Fast forward to after Ranach killed Kargo. He willingly goes to seek out the Matriarch of Southspear. Instead of being greeted by sword and shield, we get two guards that seem to be friendly and even escort Ranach to their leader. So already we have a potential contradiction here as the dogs can at least be reasonable and won’t attack out of the blue. Notice that they also let the courier from Solarstag into the tribe for the Tinget and he went unmolested. Hell, even when they have sex with each other, everyone consents to it. So from a moral standpoint, Southspear is actually better than Pre-Ronja MT. Also notice when Lycenia meets Ranach, she greets him in the same way a Meteor Tribe member would do to a female so they know full well what MT is like. Sadly like all women in this comic, Lycenia softens her tone towards Ranach even calling him a runt and agrees with Ranach’s idea to remove the Solarstag by launching an insurrection against them.

Another issue is the way that it was purposely shown not to kill their ‘prey’ they were stealing from. This only made me more confused since the mom at Havenreach painted it out like Southspear were savages. Which is it Kique? Are they savages? Or should they be pitied? Pick a fucking lane dude and STAY there. Now with the introduction of them becoming rebels to the capital, their original purpose has lost meaning and this is another tribe that can’t be considered an exclusive villain when it had all of the workings as one.

The Forngryms:

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/713/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/720/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/738/

I don’t know why Forngryms were added into this story as they make the capital by extension look like dumbasses in the grand scheme of things. For some reason, the capital viewed Forngryms as savages and Taiga lions not. While I get that the Forngryms are much more intimidating out of the two (technically 3 large cats) featured in the story it brings forth a lot of questions. For instance:

On what basis did the matriarch choose to mark Forngryms as dangerous/savage?

You are talking about a full blown genocide of a species. This would require the cooperation of all of the dogs on Aedra. This seems to go against the world building aspects because these dogs are presented as being selfish little assholes when it comes to implementing group/world policy. See the Tinget mess for more information.

Why did the Taiga lions think that this couldn't happen to them? Why didn't they fight FOR the Forngryms? They are cousins at best and more aligned than the dogs. One thing that is constantly frustrating is that these characters have no concept of self preservation. There should have ALWAYS been suspicious of the Matriarch after this stunt and never trusted her. This is a normal reaction and a logical one that a character with a brain would have. In the later pages when Ranach and Solar Stag visit them, there is a noticeable tonal shift the way that the lions view the capital. This was hamfisted out of the blue and it only begs the question, why didn't they feel this way before? Again, this is a storyboard issue.

So… ignoring the continuity problems. We are introduced to the Forngryms when Rogio goes to see the Sapphire Elk. He frees Kargo from the world in between and the two are trying to warm up in a cave before they are ambushed. The two are taken prisoner and they meet the Chieftain. He blames the dogs for wiping their species, bears, and the sabred wolves to near extinction. It is clear that there is a lot of rage within him and he is very antagonistic towards Rogio and Kargo. They end up speaking to the mother Feomeh, that explains that the reason why most of the Forngryms are half blind is because they give their sight to their god Kannaug in exchange for health and prosperity. Her son Diarko hasn't performed the rites yet and that is why he appears healthy.

You know, it's weird. The gods and spirits on Aedra work on monkey's paw logic. Basically what I mean, for every blessing that is bestowed upon a victim, they have a negative connotation associated with them in the process. I don't have a problem with this because it does add depth to the universe, but one thing that seems to get overlooked is it is presented as just… not a big deal? Eigfeigr for instance an unborn sole when he went to Ranach, Sterkr when it affected Aira took away her humanity. I have to give it to Kargo that he pointed out the hypocrisy, noting that the Chieftain looks pretty damn healthy while the other members of the pride are abused. Rogio convinces the mom and cub that they could have a better life and they flee. The mother gets a spear thrown in her shoulder and seems to drown, and Rogio, Kargo and Diarko manage to make it back to MT/Nordgarde. It comes out when the Guild visits Whispervale, that Feomeh managed to live and was found by the tribe. Axilyah knowing the danger a Forngrym poses decided to report it to the capital much to the protest of Feaf who wants to take Feomeh back to the Shiverfall tribe.

I'll come back to this later when the public pages get caught up with what I already am aware of, but one of the reasons I believe that Feomeh was not killed off was for a hamfisted plot point. Make no mistake, I do not believe that Kique actually cares about Feomeh in the slightest because of his track record with disabled characters but let's move on for now.

The Capital/Matriarch:

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/204/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/236/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/441/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/460/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/470/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/477/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/482/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/487/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/514/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/581/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/633/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/640/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/671/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/698/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/778/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/786/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/799/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/827/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/833/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/841/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/879/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/881/

The issue with the Capital that I’ve always had is that nothing ever makes sense in terms of the rules that they set in Aedra. I don’t even think it is proper to call them ‘rules’ as it seems that no dog has to follow them. As it is stated on the wiki, these are guidelines and there appears to be no punishment when someone doesn’t adhere to the rules minus attacking a member with a seal, but that presents a whole other host of problems I’ll try to touch on.

When we are introduced to the capital, it is by ways of the Guild and the leader Axilyah. She exposits the purpose of the guild and how they serve under the capital. Through her explaining to Ronja, we learn that the Matriarch is a mysterious figure that guides the tribes on Aedra. The way that she is described, they are supposed to be fair, just, and understanding. They offer humanitarian aid to tribes that need it. No one has to follow her, but many see her as a grand leader. So… that is what the reader is presented with at first. Seems like a good start for a powerful being in this universe.

Next time we have a hint about the power of the Matriarch is when we see the Bounty Hunters. They were called to fetch Jalha and Thakher when they killed the Flameguard members in self defense. Here is also where we see the cracks of the capital in the way that they handle this predicament. First, we get to meet the Matriarch Ninmah, and she happens to be the last Liulfr because reasons. So it turns out in the past there was a lone wolf that attacked several dogs. This dog didn’t kill anyone, but gave scars that will live with them with the rest of their lives. As a result, many of the dogs feel that wolves are dangerous. Alright, fine, Rohgir and his wolves that don’t go anywhere are dangerous. My question has always been if these dogs are forbidden to go off the island HOW do the dogs know of the Akis? It’s been established that Rohgir doesn’t want them leaving which means the only other possible conclusion is the dogs went looking for trouble. And given the track record the wolves were within their rights to defend themselves and their territory. Someone is lying here and I don’t understand why this got glossed over.

So it turns out the big brained move Ninmah decides to do to turn this around is having Jahla create a new tribe and have the locals get to know the wolves and divert the crisis. On paper it’s fine, but as you move through the story, despite Jahla being groomed to take over the Asmundr pack, it becomes fairly obvious that she is inept for this task. The basis is to TALK to the locals. Heavenreach is situated nicely between several different tribe territories. Do you think Kique bothered to have Jahla have an interaction with them? Of course not, because that would be too hard. What he did do though is have Jahla howl for a good month (maybe more if I’m not mistaken) to acquire Rome, her new love interest that she dumps Rhov for. Now you would think that Ninmah would actually follow up, give encouragement, or try to facilitate talks with Jahla and the natives because again, according to her, Akis are about to start a war. Kique couldn’t be fucked to do this though so it shows just how little she gives a damn.

Further proof of this is the incident with the nightbeasts. After Keirr puts Zilas to ‘rest’, off screen apparently the incident was brought to the attention of Ninmah and she initiates a Tinget meeting. Don’t get me wrong, alerting the natives of a potential ‘cure’ of the nightbeasts would be a good thing but it’s HOW it is presented that leaves a lot to be desired. Lahmina recounts how the Matriarch has been ‘testing’ the theory of ghouls being killed permanently by doing experiments herself. Which when you think about it implies that she either killed dogs or were familiar who these ghouls which is impossible. Fjordor stated that when a ghoul rises, they peel off their own skin and becoming black outlines of who they once were. So by that logic, how did Ninmah know who these poor dogs/cats were? It’s a logical inconsistency. The only thing that would make sense is for Ninmah to have killed dogs recently which…opens a whole can of yikes and tarnishes how a reader should view this character as a caring and just individual.

Then there is the incident with the Lowglade Tribe. While I know that this particular plot point is mostly Kique throwing a tantrum, it tarnishes how a reader views the capital and Matriarch as a whole. The whole reason for showing this tribe has to deal with their bioluminescent paint that will stave off ghoul attacks. Fairly useful and easy to make and is less dangerous to use than fire. Seems like it would be a good commodity to use in Aedra. Well, when Kique had a falling out with Staz, instead of continuing to use this in the story he just removed this plot point together. This was seen with Rhov and Feaf went back to the territory and several capital members had blocked off the way to Lowglade and forbidden anyone to enter. We will likely never see this tribe again, but the damning implication is that the capital did something to these dogs which is again another… yikes.

Then we have the issue with the Forngryms. Because there has been no foreshadowing about their existence, the explanation as to why they are limited in number was not thought out very well. Kique seems to forget that the dogs on Aedra appeared a mere 30 years ago. I get that Kique won’t grow the fuck up to know this, but this is barely two or three generations that you are looking at in terms of the time that passed by. If you want to go by dog years, then that is perhaps four or five generations which I’m being generous here, but it still isn’t a lot in the grand scheme of things. And considering that dogs are immortal, replenishing a tribe's number seems to be a low priority when you look at the births that we’ve seen within the story as well as the lack of puppies within the various tribes.

Regardless, we have Axi who upon discovering that a blind and clearly scared Forngrym exists decides that she wants to hand her over to the capital because past laws stated that they are considered too dangerous. And I want you to think about that. Feomah is blind, she is half starving with a cub in toe. Only a dumbass would think that she’s a danger to anyone. Sure it is possible she could reproduce and build up a population that MAY cause issues, but I doubt this is what is going through their mind. They see someone different than them, they have to destroy it. Eugenics at its finest. It is not surprising that Feaf and her mother take issue with this and appeal to their Viscountess Eopei. This creates friction between Solar Stag and Shiverfall and well… lets just put a pin in this issue because if you didn’t hate the characters in the Solar Stag now, oh boy…

Marduk:

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/246/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/261/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/453/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/838/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/854/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/877/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/892/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/893/

From chapter 13, Marduk is shaping up to be a villain but not one that was made naturally by the events within the comic. For those unaware, this character was created by Kique’s former co writer. See Val’s video if you would like to know what went on. I’ll link it in my description. Because Kique didn’t create this character, I do feel Marduk is being dragged in the mud so to speak out of spite. In the earlier chapter of Home, he had one of the more memorable scenes when Raimo attacked him after Zilas died. Marduk expressed remorse and had a range of emotion within him showing that he wasn’t one dimensional and acknowledged the limitations of being a god. He does express a certain jealousy towards Father, but at no point is it indicated in the few times we’ve seen the Asmundr pack that he wants Kainan and the others to look at HIM as their god.

When the Rabisu attack Asmundr, it turns out they are really after Marduk. He activates the obelisk which causes pain in all of the Rabisu members. We see blood leaking from their noses and eyes and it looks like this type of torture is painful. Kanien stops what Marduk is doing and tells him that the gods bowed before THEM rather than Marduk implying that they should all bow before him. This seems just… so out of place. If Marduk truly thought this, it would have made his intentions clear from the start. When we first saw him, he just wanted to be a part of the pack, maybe get to know them, he looked at Kanien and the others with a certain admiration and acknowledged his limitations as a god. This is again Kique self sabotaging his own story. It also doesn’t help that we get very little details as to what actually has been going on in Asmundr because the newest generation is the focus of Home. He might as well just killed Asmundr off like Zlias because they aren’t contributing anything and we have this hamfisted villain that is so goddamn cartoonish.

We briefly saw Marduk showing an interest in Feaf’s pregnancy, and he does seem to want to have an understanding with Jalah, and while I find it odd, it’s not evil. If anything, it shows an interest in species manipulation and as a god, okay it might be a hobby. Being a god of creation leaves a lot of wiggle room.

This is such an ill conceived plot point and from viewing the upcoming pages, Kique just ran with this with absolutely disastrous results. Just to avoid drama I'll not spoil pages that aren't being posted publicly but I'll likely do a blurb on Marduk when we get caught up to a particular section.

The Aliens/Father:

Although Father has only been seen at the beginning of home, there is a lot to be desired by the way he treats the Asmundr pack. One of the more pressing matters is that Father expects someone else to do his dirty work for him. This was seen in Asmunder by the way that he treated the Shield Wolves and the Red Eye Disease. As advanced as the aliens are, you would think that they would be able to think of a way to contain it, they are Gods after all.

This is the issue with including Sci-fi elements (and I suppose fantastical theology) in a story. As an author, the genre gives you the advantage of creating things out of thin air (literally). Because it is advanced and futuristic, you aren't held under scrutiny as hard as someone making a historically accurate piece of fiction. It is hard to conceptualize that “Father” could create a generation of Akis out of thin yet, not have the means to stop primitive humans for causing destruction on Earth.

While we are on that subject, Father put the hero of Earth on Aedra. He didn't tell them of the dangers of the nightbeasts, he didn't let them know that several dogs had already been moved to this location for several generations! Either he didn't know of the dangers which is just a ridiculous take, or he knew of it and put the Hero of Earth and his pack in danger. What a fucking asshole.

Kique:

It is rare to think that the author of their own story as the villain, but for this particular story I’ll make an exception. This story doesn’t need to be as long as it has been because simply put, nothing is happening. This is a circle jerk of the author getting off on his own Gary Stus. He has made no show that making fun of Roamer, Rogio, and Rome will get you on his shit list. Despite how much this is an issue, Kique hasn't grown out of this rather juvenile tantrum. Kique, you present yourself as a man, fucking act like one.

Case in point, the way Marduk is handled. I do not believe - nor will I ever believe that he had any intention to make this character a villain. However, because of the fall out with his co writer, he is fucking over this character for no other reason than spite. It doesn't matter what Marduk’s relationship/characterization was prior to this happening, Kique is pushing this narrative. And please, I do understand that shit happens, but there is a right way, and a wrong way to do a pivotal shift if you change your mind about a character. This is also seen the way that he is floating the idea of killing off Kargo again because again, God forbid a character is more popular than his fucking Gary Stus.

Rogio:

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/87/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/111/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/163/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/178/

https://home-comic.thecomicseries.com/comics/188/

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While I’m half kidding here, he honestly would make a compelling villain within the story with how much destruction he has caused to the dogs he has come in contact with. He is responsible for enabling Jarl Arenek’s practices of kidnaping dogs and raping females. Though I have noticed that Kique has been rather careful to not mention Rogio mounting one before. If you take into consideration he is a fuckboy with no boundaries that went after Roamer, would have gone after Rhov, and is making it seem like fucking Kargo as of chapter 13 is appropriate this character has serious issues with using sex as a tool. Yes, Roamer does to an extent, but he has nothing on this asshole.

So in the beginning when we are introduced to Rogio, he appears to be a stoic, loyal member of the MT. It is revealed early on that he is willing to comfort Ranach when he reveals that Silas has been killed. In fact, he is so devoted to Ranach that he kills Arenek on Ranach’s command. What is interesting to note here is that he didn’t do it to improve the female’s condition or to give them a better life, he did it because his lover requested it of him. So Ranach takes over MT, Rogio is made Baron, but then we have this little back and forth of Rogio upset that Ranach takes an interest in Ronja when the implication was that he and Ranach were supposed to be the ones to rule the tribe together. So this characters perfect little world was thrown into disarray because Ranach broke a promise and tossed him into the wind.

Even after this, Ranach still wants to fuck him and explains that the only reason that he said those things is because he was scared and blah blah blah. Point being is that Rogio, despite everything that has happened chooses to forgive him and they fuck. Then we get to Kargo being captured, Rogio comes in to clean his wounds and here Kargo calls Rogio out on his cowardice. Rogio admits that Ferah is alive and for some reason decides to betray Ranach by freeing Kargo and Ferah. This of course goes against what we are shown on screen because he has no valid reason to betray Ranach. Remember, he loves Ranach, Ranach is his partner, he would do anything on Ranach’s command even if that means killing his own father. So I don’t understand why even use Rogio for this plot point. Rogio finds Roamer, the two hatch a plan to help Kargo and Ferah escape.

And again, we see Rogio using his body to entice Ranach to sleep with him. He ties up Ranach and frees Kargo and Ferah and they along with Roamer try to escape. Rogio is caught and Ranach marches him to the outskirts to be killed. Before they part ways, Rogio emplores Ranach to let him help him because he knows that there is good inside him and he loves him, and all of this other bullshit that I can’t take seriously because again the fucker betrayed him for NO FUCKING REASON. And you know the story would have honestly benefited if he died here, but Kique seemed to have fallen in love with this character and scrapped his script to make sure he stayed alive. Kargo, Ferah, and Roamer save Rogio and this sets off a chain of events that I can only describe as cringe bullshit.

The first thing that happens is that we see that Rogio keeps having nightmares. He takes the form of a ghoul-like entity that is supposed to be terrifying. It is presented as a consistent issue and we see bags being put under Rogios eyes to reflect this. Rogio shares a moment with Rhovanian and I didn’t notice this before, but Rogio actually asks of Rhov will join Roamer. It’s just… weird because why ask for Roamer specifically? Why not Kargo?

We then get to where Rogio overhears Kargo and Roamer arguing when it comes out that they kept the fact that Ronja was in MT a secret. While Kargo offers to go back with him, Roamer refuses and tells Kargo to stay away. And just for clarification Rogio eavesdropping on other characters is a constant thing with this character, especially when it comes to Kargo and Roamer. Rogio follows after Roamer and laments that he didn’t know what Ronja met to Roamer which is a fucking LIE. When Ranach told her the bullshit story about Kargo and Ferah and how they are outlaws, Ronja was concerned because she knew that Roamer was with them. The whole reason why Zilas died was because Ronja sent the MT out to LOOK FOR ROAMER. This is such a fucking red flag with this character and shows just how deceptive and manipulative he is. The two start the journey back to MT and Rogio passes out because of the effects from the bad dream I guess. Here Rogio confides in Roamer that the MT has a hold on him and it affected how he sees himself. Then we have a small blurb about Rogio trying to justify why Kargo wouldn’t want to go back to the MT because you know the rapes and mental chains that you just admitted to having. Because no one else can have that but you, you rapist piece of shit douchebag. Then we get into the heart as to why Ronja would go to the MT. While Rogio is quick to point out that Ranach lured her there, he is oddly muted as to why she wasn’t used for breeding purposes. In fact not only does he minimize the fact, it points that Oreo Twatwaffle went to someone else which is not… good? I mean if you lure someone with the thought of being in love with them and go to someone else, what does that say about Rogio? He knew that Ronja loved Ranach with all of her heart. How do you qualify that by choosing to STILL sleep with Ranach? See what I mean, this guy is a slimeball and not once is Kique willing to call him out for the horrible things that he’s done.

In the interim, they walk back to the Lonely Village were Zilas was killed, and Rogio is surprised to learn that Roamer didn’t get the full details of what happened. He assures Roamer that if he was the one that was sent to find Zilas, he would have NEVER let that happen because you know, mental chains am-I-right? Rogio is quick to point out that he was not born in the MT but forced to be there which again his bullshit. He had a chance to disappear after he was nursed back to health, but he stayed because he fell in love with Ranach. There was a side that only he saw that no one else did, and yet, he didn’t try to manipulate Ranach to improve the female’s condition, he didn’t try to seek help, hell he could have ran away with Ranach if he felt that strongly about it. He sat back on his laurels and let those in lower positions suffer. THEN he has the audacity to say that Ranach tossed him out the moment that he got an excuse. Motherfucker are you for real? You BETRAYED him. You let the rebels go when it was clear that Ranach hated Kargo and Ferah. He is so self absorbed and Roamer just takes him at his word and never questions him in the slightest. And even after knowing that Zlias died, knowing that Kargo likes Roamer, knowing that he was the cause of suffering, he fucks Roamer. Perfect stand up guy ladies and gentleman.

The pair make it back to MT, and despite Rogio being branded a traitor, he is greeted with smiles and cheers. Roamer also sees Ronja and it seems that Rogio is taken aback watching Roamer wanting to be with Ronja. He comes up to Roamer later and notes that he doesn’t want what happened between them the night before to be a one time thing. In fact, he presses that Roamer despite being inexperienced, new to relationships, and only having one previous lover that he CERTAINLY wants it to. Roamer leaves to say his goodbyes to Ferah and Kargo and Rogio is left with Ronja. Now what is interesting in this dialogue is that it is Ronja that is the one to apologize first to Rogio. She didn’t do anything to this asshole, but unprompted, it’s just an apology out of her mouth. Also, not only does Rogio lament that she was scared and confused, he remarks that he was also jealous of her. Meaning that this fucker sleeping behind his back was less about loving Ranach, but how dare his lover want someone else besides him! And because Rogio is oh so special and everyone was overjoyed to see him, Ronja offers him a position back in the tribe. No questions asked. And despite how Roamer is conflicted when he gets back after making peace with Kargo, he is assured that he is meant to be with Rogio and they have sex.

We meet later and there is an issue with the dwindling food supply. Normally the herd is relocated elsewhere for feeding, but because of Ranach’s threat after he was kicked out of the tribe, Ronja decides that enough is enough and they need to hunt down Ranach. Why they are so bothered by the Twatwaffle is a mystery, but let’s just go with it. Ronja asks for a group of volunteers to scout for Ranach. Roamer goes, Fuss, and Fremja but you know who doesn’t bother? You guessed it, Rogio. Despite him being offered a position in the tribe, despite knowing that Ranch would likely freeze up, despite knowing that females who have been abused for YEARS are willing to risk their lives on the line this pile of horse shit can’t bother to face his tormentor because of mental chains.

During the scouting mission, they stumble upon the shrine that was erected for Avanti. Fuss notes that the beast was likely summoned by Ranach. You know, a supernatural creature. That alone should have made them fall back and not too surprisingly they get attacked. Roamer gets a knife in the leg trying to protect Fremja and just as the creature is going to kill Roamer, Fuss burns the shrine and saves them all. They retreat back to the tribe. Rogio, horrified gets over emotional and they publicly shows affection to one another. Vigr sees this and lets Rogio know that Ranach went mad after he thought he killed Rogio, he points out that because Rogio IS alive they can use it to their advantage and again, despite this douchebag being the second in command, despite the trauma of others, despite him swearing up and down how he wants to fix mistakes in the past, despite fucking protecting someone other than himself he shows how much of a selfish coward he is. No one calls him out for this. No one tells this bastard to be a man and do what needs to be done.

The next day, Ronja sends out another party out to deal with this using Rogio’s scent supposedly. This detail never gets brought up, nor is Ranach shown to react to it at all. Jonna and Fuss are killed as a result of this. Roamer puts it together that the person that Rogio fell in love with was Ranach and despite everything, he points out that while Ranach is a monster, he acknowledges that softer side that Ranach showed Rogio was valid and just a bunch of stupid self verification that makes me want to vomit. Rogio once again isn’t called out for his shitty behavior and never will be in this story. Kique tries so hard to make him appear likable but the source material proves just the opposite. Fuss and Jonna are given a funeral and Rogio remarks that burning the bodies is unnatural and… and this just is so out of place. Instead of lamenting that this dogs died BECAUSE OF YOU you make a show of how they are sent off. Fucking hell.

After Kargo kills the two Solar Stag merchants, Kargo decides that the best course of action is to take Ferah back to the MT. They have no idea about Ranach or Aventi but given the circumstances this is the best that they can do. It is no surprise that Kargo is still sore about what happened between Roamer and Rogio and he attacks Rogio in a fit of rage. Rogio says that NEITHER he or Roamer expected this to happen and BOTH of them were broken and hurt and I just… want to punch him in the face so bad. YOU were not hurt, you were given a choice SEVERAL TIMES and you didn’t take it. YOU decided you wanted to be a horses ass and not do shit. YOU SLEPT WITH ROAMER a fucking DAY after he and Kargo broke up. That is malicious as shit and no I don’t believe him when he says that he didn’t plan it. He uses his body to get what he wants, he is a whore. Regardless how angry Kargo is, he’s fucking right here. No lies detected. Again Rogio insists that he was abused by Ranach which is a lie and he should have been a better friend to Kargo which he never has been. Basically this is trying to paint Rogio out to be this magnanimous character and stick it to anyone that has anything negative to say about him.

Despite everything, the only ‘point’ Rogio makes is that Kargo left Roamer alone with the ghouls. And I just want to say that this is a stupid hill to die on. First, Roamer knows that darkness means the ghouls come out at night. He was told that, he knows that lore. Kargo was understandably upset that Ferah appeared to have died when he asked Roamer to save her. I’m not trying to excuse Kargo here, but Ferah is his best friend in the whole world. It would be out of character if he didn’t lose his shit. Vandi reveals later that both Kargo and Ferah’s mother prayed to the spirits to help their children. That Kargo’s rage and anger are likely the result of this and that their mothers died knowing they would protect each other. This revelation doesn’t do anything for me. It explains why Kargo has rage issues, but it doesn’t add to his character in the grand scheme of things. Regardless, Kargo decides to seek out Rogio and ask him pointley does he love Roamer? He doesn’t say yes, but admits they are taking it slow and don’t want to hurt each other. Kargo says that if he breaks Roamer’s heart, he’ll kill them and well that’s just the end of this relationship that Kargo and Rogio have. Apparently this is Kargo coming to terms with the fact that his ex moved on. I don’t agree with this but Kique refused to properly address this because he doesn’t know how to deal with conflict so he lobotomized Kargo’s method of thinking. And if you think I’m being hyperbolic we’ll see this play out later in the story.

For now, Ranach decides that now is the right time to attack the MT. He sets the walls on fire and he and Avanti jump the barrier. Interestingly enough Avanti is the one that senses Rogio. She disobeys Ranach to look for Rogio. And I need to stress that. This creature, that is summoned, that is duty bound to Ranach defies an order. There is no on screen explanation given, and while I’m pretty sure Kique gave a reason in the comments section that I’m too lazy to find, he just fucked off on his own worldbuilding for the sake of keeping this fucker alive. So Kargo and Ferah face off against Ranach, Avanti hunts down Rogio because… reasons. With how easily Avanti shredded Fuss and Jonna, a logical person would conclude that Rogio would get his ass handed to him. Notice the way that the fight plays out. In Joanna's case, she was grabbed by the scruff of the neck and based on the amount of blood, likely got deep lacerations before bleeding out. Same thing with Fuss. While Avanti does go for the scruff at first, then she hovers over Rogio instead of just grabbing him again. Avanti gets distracted by Akleja, Rogio manages to get his mouth around the necklace that she is wearing and it shatters. Again, there is no in universe explanation for what this does and the significance of it. For reasons only in Kique's head though, this stops this dead set mode to kill Rogio. Avanti says sorry in her alien language and she just leaves.

In the aftermath, Kargo is killed by Ranach and we see a very emotional Roamer saying that he is hungry to kill. Which… okay? I don't understand this change of character. It was pretty much painted out that Kargo was a hard friendzone and I have a hard time believing that suddenly he cares so much about Kargo. This is the same dumbass that was willing to go back to MT knowing of the emotional trauma that happened to Kargo and Ferah. The two friends that he was willing to travel Aedra together and then suddenly decided that staying with Ronja was more important even though the whole reason Ronja got involved with MT was BECAUSE he wanted to explore Aedra with his two friends. It's tonal whiplash.

We fast-forward to after Ronja has her puppies and Roamer comes into the hut and discovers that Rogio has stepped down. And while I agree this is needed, he should have done this when he got Fuss and Jonna killed. His sudden need to step down now is hollow at best and I don't find it sincere in the least bit. Again we have Roamer saying that Avanti looked death in the eye and saved Vandi and Akleja and I almost want to ask him what does that make Kargo who was willing to look Ranach in the eye, saved Ferah and likely everyone else in the MT because you know… mother fucker was trying to kill them all! Rogio leaves Roamer and when we see them again, Rogio's nightmares apparently came back. Notice that this wasn't an issue when he was fucking Roamer before Kargo and Ferah arrived on MT lands. Roamer tries to initiate sex and Rogio rebuffs him.

Next day Ronja notes that Roamer and Rogio seem more distant since Kargo died and I'm sitting here rolling my eyes. I don't feel sorry for either of them. Their entire relationship was built on sex, the emotional needs were barely factored into the equation. Supposedly Roamer cares so deeply about Kargo and I haven't seen anything that hinted he wanted to mend the relationship. Sure, they hugged each other after Kargo went ballistic on Rogio, but even during the dance before the attack, Roamer was spending time with Rogio and didn't try to check on his ex. Anyway, a courier informs Ronja that a Tinget was called and like usual only Rogio seems to know where it is or what to expect even though MT doesn't go to Tingets. It's all so fucking frustrating. It's very simple. Ronja just needed to ask the courier to make a map, give directions, or something in between. But no, Rogio has to save the day AGAIN. It is decided that he will take Ronja to it. On the way there, we see Rogio's ghoul apparently still bothering him. He tells Ronja that he's fine and they go to sleep. After the Tinget, Rogio and Fjordor meet and for some reason Rogio opens up to him. Now keep this in mind. Rogio hasn't spoken to his lover, his leader, but the old gimpy man he met once? Oh he'll spill his soul out to him. Rogio confides that he thinks he will hurt someone and Gimpy asks what he believes he needs to do. Rogio replies he needs to leave and Gimpy responds to do so and win this fight. Whatever the fuck that is supposed to mean. This is the same idiot that that indirectly caused Kargo's death. The same one that despite knowing that Kargo had trauma reported him to Solar Stag, the double standards that the characters in this comic displays is disgusting.

When Rogio and Ronja go back home we see this rather confusing scene of Rogio charging a random dog near their camp. Rogio is aggressive and it almost is like he doesn't want to listen to Ronja's command to let him go. Then he goes on this paranoid tirad that the dog is likely not from the tribe he claimed and they are looking for weakness which… okay. Where was this demeanor when it actually mattered? This paranoia and untrusting of others? By this point the MT walls have not been repaired, if they were concerned about being overtaken by other tribes, they have not DONE anything to address it. It's artificial and frankly, a bit too late. Now, as the two make their way to MT the next morning, Rogio tries to ditch Ronja but fails. Makes an excuse and shows again how uncommitted he is to his convictions.

It's been fifteen days after Rogio returns and he still is having nightmares about his ghoul. He wakes up abruptly, Roamer tries to talk to him, wants him to open up and Rogio just glosses over it and tells him he's fine. Then Roamer confides that a part of him died with Kargo and he can't smile and laugh like he used to anymore. He implores Rogio to let him know if they are over. Here is where it should end, Rogio has been giving Roamer the cold shoulder for ages, he doesn't talk to him, he doesn't emotionally trust him, and by his own admission he is a danger to others until he can get his ghoul under control. Does Rogio have a moment of honesty? Of course he doesn't because that would mean that Kique would admit that Rogio is a shit character. Instead we have Rogio selfishly sahing that he doesn't want their relationship to end and then Roamer, the dumbass that he is asks not for Rogio to open up to him but to touch him. Like… seriously think about that. Roamer is saying I want to Have SEX with you, not that I want you to be open to me, not that I want you to stop avoiding me, I want physical sex like we used to, and damn you and your feelings. Fucking hell. Now to Rogio's credit, he doesn't do what Roamer wants and walks out of their hut.

Oh don't worry children, because we have yet another night where Roamer sees Rogio packing to leave. And while Rogio states that he doesn't want to drag Roamer down, notice that he doesn't try to cut their relationship. Roamer pleads with Rogio to talk to him which he finally admits to killing and or hurting Ronja and Roamer. Roamer uses the power of “I love you no matter what” and again we meet this tonal whiplash again where suddenly everything that Rogio has done up to this point is excused and they have sex because of course they do.

After Roamer tells Rogio to seek out the Spirit of Serenity that he learned from Kargo and this is another issue I have because early on, Rogio stated that the spirits are not to be trusted. They promise everything and take everything. Hell, his home tribe was attacked by a spirit,but I suppose because his boyfriend said it, it suddenly is okay. You do you Kique. So we have this whole arc of Rogio going to silence the demon inside of him.

The next time we see Rogio, he's on the summit. He recites the words on the stone which tell him to lay down his armor and be exposed and vulnerable. The Elk spirit states that they have been waiting for Rogio and notes that great sadness has been inflicted on his heart. And… I want ask this spirit what fucking sadness are they talking about. Just about all of the problems that Rogio has ARE caused by Rogio. This isn't some 4-D chess move from all of the proof that is provided in the story. Part of Kique's problem is that if he thinks that he says something, it becomes true. That's not how storytelling works. Rogio is a selfish, horny asshole. There isn't a lot more to his character than that. Regardless to what the reader thinks though Rogio says that he is willing to put his life on the line. Wouldn't you know it the moment he gets thrown into this world, he pulls out a knife when the fucker was supposed to put everything down for his trial! This fucker failed the trial the second he took it! I don't fucking get it. He should have had his soul ripped asunder and had the ghoul devour him but again, because Kique refuses to let this fucker die he fights and defeats his ghoul. Somehow Kargo his in the space in between and gets saved by Rogio. The two are thrust back into the world of the living and we have this neutered version of Kargo.

Kargo who barely tolerated Rogio suddenly is more subdued. One of the notable exchanges is how Kargo says that he is in Rogio's debt and I'm going to pause the story and explain this because the implication is insidious. Kique didn't like Kargo, this was clear how he split Kargo and Roamer up, this was obvious how the break up went, obvious when Kargo went berserk and attacked the Solar Stag merchants, how quickly Roamer moved to Rogio. He had no intention on keeping Kargo around which is why he was killed off in the stupidest way imaginable. What Kique didn't count on was that Kargo turned out to be one of the best written characters in his comic. Despite his issues, he was relatable and had a lot of fans. Given the backlash, I do believe that he was bothered by it, and perhaps he learned to like the character again which is why he came back. However the issue was, he couldn't have Kargo come back how he was because many preferred Kargo and Roamer versus the Roamer and Rogio pairing. In order to self sabotage this from happening, he had to alter the dynamics of the characters.

Allow me to explain further. In order to avoid a situation where Roamer might fall in love with Kargo again, Kique had to make Kargo subservient to Rogio. This puts Kargo in a position where he is forced to remember what Rogio did with him IE save his life. Because of this, it is doubtful that he will do anything to upset Rogio or sabotage his relationship no matter what his feelings about Roamer are. It's emotional blackmail and for someone that used the term ‘bound in mental chains’ which this character specifically, Kique is an asshole for doing this. This is part of the reason why I believe that Kargo speaks so strangely to Rogio in this chapter specifically. Yes, I realize that he's hurt and in shock, but it's more than that.

Anyway back to this mess. The Forngryms find Kargo and Rogio and they are captured. They are supposed to be sacrificed for a feeding ritual even though starving them on a pole for a few days would make them loose fat and therefore be more undesirable but just continued to consume product without thinking and then we meet Feomeh and Diarko who take pity on the pair and decide to believe the dogs and free him, they escape, Feomeh seems to drown and Kargo, Rogio, and Diarko make it back to MT.

Again, there is still more of this odd exchange with a sub Kargo and Rogio. The more that I see these two interact the more I feel that this is Kique more than the characters themselves. Kargo for instance says that while believe alive again is not a burden he is tired. Rogio suggests that he could travel elsewhere or join Ferah if he wants but he can make his choice later. Over a fire, Kargo makes the decision to fight Ranach since he is a threat to those he loves. That's fine and all, but one of the things that has bothered me is why let one dog dictate your life. They act like Ranach is a god, he's a fucking twink who has plot armor. After MT lose a few members it is decided that the tribe relocate and start over. This is something that should have been done with Ranach left but whatever. Better late than never. While Kargo and Roamer are visiting Ferah, MT get attacked by a nearby tribe with the warning that they disband or die on the land. This is again a hamfisted plot point because there has never been anything stopping MT from getting attacked but okay. I also don't understand why now when many at the Tinget know that MT is ran by Ronja unless they just think that she was lying or have selfish motives but whatever.

Roamer speaks with Kargo a little with Diarko and once again we have Rogio eavesdropping on the pair. When Roamer joins Rogio back in the hut, that's when Rogio suggests that they include Kargo in their relationship which again, based on the dynamics I mentioned earlier, doesn't seem like he's being sincere about it. I don't doubt Kargo loves Roamer here, but what I do question what Rogio gets out of it. It's not like Kargo and he have any dynamics other than ‘I saved your life’ and this weirdness with Kargo's personality change make it very, very superficial.

As of 884, that's all that I really can report on Rogio at the moment. As you see, Rogio is very manipulative, maybe just as much as Ranach in some cases. If he was unironically written, he'd be a damn fine villain how he uses trauma to use other people to his whims.

Ranach: Goddamn Oreo Twatwaffle

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God, I’m going to need ten minutes to explain this bastard - and not in a good way. I’ll just go ahead and say if anyone likes Ranach unironically, I question your tastes in villains. He is generic at best and highly offensive at the worst within this story.

Lets go over how he was portrayed prior to chapter 6 since there is a noticeable change that occurs within the comic in regards to this character.

He’s manipulative, this became obvious when he lured Galti and Alva into the tribe. I do believe that his reasoning for taking interest in Ronja had everything to do with kidnapping her and the Asmundr pack too but that's neither here nor there. After he had his father killed, he took over the pack, named Ronja his Viscountess, Rogio his Baron, and decides that MT cannot move forward until they deal with the rebels Kargo and Ferah. Despite how he has used Rogio for pleasure, when he questions why Ranach is showing interest in Ronja, he tells Rogio that their time spent together meant nothing and as his Jarl, Rogio is no longer his secret lover anymore.

Ranach sends a group to the Lonely Village and orders Zilas killed offscreen. While that happens, he tells Ronja that they are close to finding Roamer thanks to her ‘friends’. The group tracks down Ferah's hut while Kargo is desperately searching for Ferah who fell off the waterfall because of Aira. Kargo gets captured and is taken to MT. While that is going on, Ranach tries to make a move on Rogio and he rebuffs his advances based on what was said earlier. Ranach puts on puppy eyes tells him he made a mistake. Rogio walks away and Kargo is taken before Ranach. Ranach is convinced that Kargo made a pact with a spirit and tells him he won't let him go free from the world until he spills his secrets. Roamer asks Kainen for help and the two of them confront Ranach which he tells them to fuck off and note that tribe matters are not the business of outlanders.

Ranach is seduced by Rogio later. This is done, not because Rogio had a change of heart, minda you, but just because he wants to free Kargo and Ferah. They manage to get away with Roamer, but Rogio is captured and is taken to the outskirts to be sacrificed. Knowing that Rogio makes him weak, he leave Rogio and sentences his lover to death. After this happens, Ranach withdrawals from the tribe, let's Ronja lead it and eventually goes mad. He finally leaves the tribe without a word, determined to get Rogio back by asking the help of a spirit. When he meets the Keeper of the Undead, it informs Ranach that he has to offer his unborn to get Rogio back. Realizing that Ronja is pregnant he goes back and finds that the gate is blocked and the MT members are not too happy with Ranach abandoning the tribe. It comes out that Ranach had Zilas killed and in a fit of rage, Ronja tells Ranach to never return or he'll be killed. Somewhere off screen, he and Ulfr meet and decide that they will take revenge on the MT. This leads to Ranach summoning Avanti with a shrine. This creature does what Ranach commands without fail and they are ‘lovers’ from the spell that is used. After the second attempt, Avanti kills Fuss and Jonna and this is were we get a scene where Ulfr nearly gets raped by Ranach. While Ranach says that he would never lay with him before, the implication is still there. When Ulfr rebuks his advance, Ranach uses Avanti to kill him. While MT is under siege, Kargo and Ferah make their way back to MT after Kargo killed the Solar Stag merchants. Interesting enough this is one of the few times that Ranach can use his nose to smell the pair (but for some reason can't smell Rogio even though he's been there much, much longer) and it inspires a fit of rage. When we see Ranach again, he's have a nightmare where it seems he was a pup that is separated from his mother. His father tells him to stop calling out to her and it ends with him waking up abruptly and going to set fire to the MT and start his assault.

After Avanti leaves Ranach, he faces off with Ferah and Kargo. Ranach is giving the advantage because he is the only one with the knife (omg plot armor!) and he manages to overpower a supernatural dog that has bear power. It's the dumbest fight sequence I've ever seen in my life. Kargo is an experienced fighter even without a knife but he doesn't land a killing or maiming blow on Ranach at all. Instead, he manages to kill Kargo, and slips away without anyone able to chase after him.

It isn't until later that we find that Ranach ran far, far away in the Southspear territory. When we see him again, he's talking to himself. This is something that he hasn't done before, or since actually. I don't even get why this was done other to hint that he's crazy? But even then, this isn't something that happens again, so I'm confused why Kique did it. Two Southspear guards see Ranach and when he says he's here to see the Matriarch, they take Ranach to meet her. On the way, Ranach sees a knock off Rogio that he is clearly taken aback by. When he is taken before Lykenia, he asks to join her tribe. Given what we know about Ranach, this is not something that I would expect for him. He is a leader, not a doer, and I do believe that this is more manipulation for an end game he is working on. Lykenia accepts him and he is part of Southspear.

When we see him later, he's obviously having a hard time adjusting to the high heat. Iberon recruits Ranach and a few others to join them with hunting down a wagon. We see Ranach struggling to keep up, but Iberon is willing to slow down his pace knowing that Ranach won't make it. They catch up to the wagon and Iberon tells Ranach to not kill who they are robbing. They manage to secure the goods and that's pretty much the end of the scene. Next time we see Ranach and Southspear again, a courier brings new of the Tinget, Lykenia has no interest in joining but Ranach wants to capture and question someone going to it. Lykenia puts him in his place and later Ranach realizes that Iberon came from the north and starts to piece together that he might be related to Rogio. He is propositioned by one of the Southspear guards Koegos but turns down his advances.

Some time later Ranach is asked to go with Iberon to hunt. Ranach as it turns out, is horrible at it and by the time they get back, Ranach changes his mind and decides to have sex with Koegos. Later Iberon asks Ranach once again to join him on a raid. This one however his a trap set up by the bounty hunters. One of their members is killed, and Iberon is nearly killed himself until Ranach saves him. When they get back, Ranach laments that they should do something about the bounty hunters which Iberon explains nothing can be done. Ranach presses the matter saying that the capital shouldn't be able to do what they want and not look down on them as beasts, but the problem here is that they… are thieves? It's like getting mad at a prostitute that says she will not love you, but have sex with you. It's kinda… their job? You chose to live this way, of course the capital isn't going to like you. I don't get this train of thought at all.

Ranach seems to spend his day sleeping with other members of the tribe after that. It's pretty clear he wants to bed Iberon because of the Rogio link but is too much of a pussy to ask. Iberon seems to be keeping a close eye on Ranach too which I'm not sure I understand but I guess Kique subtly shipping them is a thing. When we see Ranach later he pleas to Lykenia to make a move on the capital. He proposes that they find like minded tribes to overthrow the capital and live how they please. She asks for time to think about his proposal.

A very angry Iberon walks into Ranach's hut and is not too happy that Lykenia approved of his suggestion. Iberon, Ranach, and a few others are supposed to look for tribes. Iberon tells Ranach that he doesn't give a damn about his intentions and has no intention on dying for a cause like this. Lykenia makes a plea to her people that they have all been treated unfairly and intend to spark a rebellion against the capital. Iberon is still sour and Ranach tries to appeal to him. Iberon points out that he knows Ranach has bedded all of the males in the tribe and leaves them the next morning. Ranach then says that he doesn't want them, but Iberon and throughout this annoying dialogue Iberon presses Ranach against the wall and fucks him.

They wake up the next morning and Iberon asks Ranach about the scar on his face. It comes out that his father didn't allow same sex bonds and punished Ranach for being caught by giving him it. The thing is… unless Arenek was a complete moron, there is no way he wasn't bound to notice that his son was still have sexual relations with Rogio. According to Jonna, Ranach wasn't seen with females often and I'm sure many saw the way that he was spending time with Rogio. This is another ill conceived plot point that you aren't supposed to think about. The two tend to their affairs before setting off to the Shiverfall Tribe.��

On the way there, Siqhaala remarks to Iberon that they are surprised Iberon is attached to Ranach. Iberon further clarifies that he isn't with him, but just is allowing Ranach closer to him because he appears to be more honest. Siqhaala tells him to be careful and notes that they can feel that Ranach has done bad things which Iberon says he'll never let Ranach hurt anyone. Ranach makes an appeal to Shiverfall saying that they are in chains and not truly free from the capital because if they step out of line, they will be killed. Flamegarde also joins them, noting the incident with the Red Wolf Jahla.

And so far, that's all I have for Ranach and his bullshit arch. While I agree that this character shows signs of a villain from a pragmatic point of view, I'm not convinced he will turn out to be one in the end. Part of it is due how the capital and Marduk is being presented, but then we have Ranach having this Jekyll and Hyde type of writing. I do attribute this to how Kique personally feels about the character which is why I'm convinced Kique will try to redeem him despite all of the horrible shit he has done in the comic.

My own thoughts:

Because this comic is beyond help, I’ll just say this. All characters in a story need motives and have a set of principles, yes even a villain. For a villain, you might not agree or approve with their actions, but their manner of thinking or characterization should be constant or have a REASON for an abrupt change if one occurs within the narrative in the story. One of the pitfalls that I see for a lot of writers is believing that villains need to be sympathetic or have a redemption arc going for them (Disney is especially bad with this). I am pretty old school, not every villain can be set up to be like Zuko from Avatar the Last Airbender. Hell, I'll even take it a step further and say that not all villains need a REASON for the actions that they do. They are called villains for a reason.

A constant and consistent problem that this story has is there is no overarching plot. Instead, characters just move around because Kique wants them to. There is no rhyme or reason for it, but it’s for the sake of dragging out this story as long as he possibly can. Home shows why it is important you plan out your story with an outline to keep the characters true to their nature. As it stands, there are too many contradictions with the bloated cast of characters in Home. Something that a character did in one chapter is forgotten in the next. There are so many plotlines that are not tied up that it just creates confusion within the story. What happened to the nightbeasts? What happened to Southspear being labeled as dangerous? Why did Ninmah decide that Forngryms were dangerous but Taiga lions aren’t? It’s all so messy and it could have been fixed if Kique gave a damn about his writing.

Ranach is supposed to be a main character in this story but the later chapters show him being sympathetic AKA redeemable to the audience. Honestly, after the actions that he has done, the last thing any competent writer should be doing with this character is trying to explain his backstory this late. It would have been a far different case if we knew this information from the start, but it makes it seem as though this was thought of later which is more than likely the main reason as Kique is having a change of heart about this character. I do not genuinely think that Ranach will die by the time the comic ends. There is way too much exposition done to show that he is the ‘good guy’ within Home and that is fucking disgusting.

If this was my project, I would make Ninmah the overarching villain with Rogio as a secondary one. I don’t like her for reasons that I’ve stated in my Solar Stag video, but she has the making of a true villain by manipulating all of the dogs to do her bidding. It would have been easy to make her the Lone Wolf and make her responsible for the phobic tendencies displayed by the dogs. It divides them and keeps them under her control and they are easier to manipulate. The issue with Solarstag is that they want everyone to respect them but give nothing back in return. They MUST be respected because they are the self proclaimed capital. If you don’t believe me, look at how they are treating Kargo who had a PTSD attack and killed the merchants. There was no trying to figure out what happened, no asking his side of things, he was just sentenced to death. Meanwhile Jahla killed two Flameguard members and she was pardoned for her crime as it was declared in self defense. The implication is that mental illness and past trauma should not be taken into consideration when looking at a person. Do not get me wrong, if you do something bad, yes you should be punished, but to just sentence someone to death shows just how little Kique thinks about this.

For anyone that writes a villain, have them commit to being one. Not everyone can and is meant to be a Zuko. If they do unspeakable actions such as what was seen in the Meteor Tribe, those characters are not worth redeeming or being sympathetic to. Murder, rape and kidnapping should not be taken lightly and Ranach has committed all three without any self reflection or remorse - yes even with Rogio here. Kique is flat out refusing to lean into the serious crimes this character has committed. You should be asking yourself why the author is doing everything he can to redeem this bastard, but that’s a topic for another day. For now, I’ll just end it here letting you ponder on what I’ve mentioned. Even after breaking down all of the potential villains, there is none which makes you wonder what the fuck have you been spending over 800 pages reading? Asher out.

#kique7 #home #homecomic #kique nordin #Script #video script #asmundrcomic #asmundrhome #asmundr

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